Five Years Later
by Amrywiol
Summary: It's been eleven years since he met her, five years since they last kissed and four and a half since he last heard from her and Jeff Winger thought he'd moved on. Then a familiar figure walked into a room.
1. Chapter 1 - Prologue

Disclaimer: I don't own Community, Dan Harmon does. Only the plot and OCs are mine, everything else is just borrowed.

Thanks to Jeffwik for beta reading this and helping tighten it up and make it make sense...

Chapter 1 - Prologue

(January 2020 - Greendale Community College, start of Spring Semester)

"Good morning, everyone. Welcome to 'Fundamentals of Law 102'." Jeff Winger said. "Most of you were here last semester, but for those of you who weren't I'm Professor Winger and I will be teaching this course."

The room quickly went quiet - Jeff was a popular teacher and controlled the classroom with a natural authority. He took off his jacket, slung it over the back of his chair, rolled up his shirt sleeves and threw a wink at a brunette in the front row whose face had gone dreamy. She blushed slightly and sat up straight again.

"Before we start I have an important announcement to make. As those of you who volunteer for the Justice Project will already be aware, last semester I applied for funds to attend this summer's Conference on Justice and the Appeals System taking place in Georgetown University, Washington DC. I'm pleased to announce I have been granted funds to attend and take two students with me - if you are interested in attending, please sign the sheet currently going round class. Places will be assigned on the basis of grades obtained and willingness to pursue extra credit opportunities and successful candidates will be announced on return from Spring Break. Now if you please turn to page 27…"

XXXXXX

(Day after Spring Break, office of the Greendale Justice Project)

Jeff Winger was going through the assessments of the first half of the semester. _Gemma has to go, she's way ahead of the others. But any one of five could get the second place. I've only got enough funds for two rooms, If I pick a guy I'll have to share a room with him, but another girl and they can share while I have a room to myself…_

He put his head around the door. "Gemma, Hayley, can I see you in my office please?"

XXXXXX

(Georgetown University, Washington DC - Conference on Justice and the Appeals System, main lecture theatre)

Jeff knew exactly why he'd chosen to attend the lecture being given by the FBI guest speaker from Quantico. He looked down once again at the amendment slip which had been stapled into the conference programme to make sure it hadn't changed since he'd last looked at it. It hadn't -

 _14:30-16:30 - The Perspective of Law Enforcement. Speaker - FBI Special Agent A. Edison (replacing the previously announced speaker)_

If pushed he would have said it offered the best chance of an entertaining Q&A session given the likely hostile audience. He wasn't ready to admit the truth, that his palms were sweating and his heart in his mouth at the possibility of seeing Annie again after so long.

The conference chairman walked up to the podium and tapped the microphone for attention -

"Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention please," Professor Greenman said. "For those of you who haven't received a copy of the amended programmes Professor Leo Armitage has been called away on official business and is unable to make today's lecture. However, the FBI has graciously provided a replacement who has been working closely with Professor Armitage and is fully qualified to speak on his behalf. Please welcome Special Agent Annie Edison."

Jeff sat upright in his seat. He hadn't really believed it was possible until this moment. _It really is her!_ he thought in dumb shock as the petite figure of a woman who had once been the most important thing in his world walked up to the podium. Jeff never budged from his position as he focussed with intense concentration on everything Annie said, every mannerism, every gesture. When the lecture ended and the call for questions went out, he made sure his hand went up first and he practically tore the microphone out of the assistant's hand as it was brought over to him.

"Jeff Winger from the Greendale Justice Project."

Annie went stiff with shock as she heard his name, recognised his voice. _It really is him! What are you doing here, Jeff? Shouldn't you still be rotting in that place? You look just like you did... no, you look... better._ Annie noted he'd shaved off his beard and was wearing a sharp suit, and seemed to have recovered an easy self-confidence as he gripped the microphone. She disciplined herself to relax and concentrate on his question.

Jeff was somewhat gratified to see Annie looked almost as shocked as he felt, even if she did swiftly smooth over her expression.

"Thank you for volunteering to be the lion in this den of Daniels, Special Agent," Jeff opened, pausing slightly to allow the rumble of good-natured laughter to die down.

"My question is straightforward enough," he continued. "You stressed in your presentation that law enforcement agencies such as yours are as committed to justice as anybody in this room, and that we should be prepared to see you as allies, not as rivals. However, I think I speak for most of my colleagues here present who specialise in miscarriage of justice cases that the law enforcement agencies we deal with very rarely see us as allies." There was a rumble of agreement from around the room. "Do you not perhaps accept that the message you have just given also needs to be given within your own organisation?"

"Thank you for your kind welcome, Mr Winger," Annie smiled up at him. "You're quite correct of course, this is a message that needs to be taken onboard by all parties. For example, in the FBI -" Annie proceeded to give a concise answer of how the FBI was constantly overhauling procedures and training to ensure evidence was retained and access for defence counsel safeguarded.

Jeff returned to his seat and listened to the rest of the Q&A. At the end, he turned to Gemma and Hayley and asked them to wait a moment as he had something personal to attend to, then he walked to the front of the auditorium and waited while Annie handled those attendees who preferred to ask questions one on one. As he watched her deal with the questioners confidently and with good humour, Jeff felt - he wasn't sure what he felt. Pride? Wistfulness? Uncertainty, even resentment? Instead he forced himself to relax and just watch as memories came forth unbidden. Finally she dismissed the last one and walked over to him.

"Would it destroy your credibility with this crowd if I gave you a hug?" she asked with a warm smile.

Jeff smiled back. "No more than it would destroy yours with your bosses." He held out his arms. "Come here, Annie." She did, the hug was soft and warm and exactly how Jeff remembered. "It's been so long," he said as a moment of sadness flicked across her face. "Can I buy you dinner or something so we can catch up properly? I don't think we can do it just standing here."

Annie's face fell. "I can't Jeff, I've got a meeting at FBI Headquarters." Then she brightened again. "It's only a case review and shouldn't take more than an hour – pick me up from my hotel at 7:30 and we'll go on from there." She scribbled a name and address on the back of a business card and handed it over to him. Jeff automatically gave her one of his cards in return.

"Thanks Annie, I'll see you later." Jeff smiled at her.

"It's a date Jeff," Annie smiled back at him. They hugged again and Annie swiftly left the room. Gemma and Hayley, who had been hanging back, walked up to him. They had grins on their faces.

"So Professor," said Gemma. "Did you really just score a date with the hot FBI agent?!"

Jeff drew himself up to his full height and replied with a tone of grave dignity.

"As it happens, she's an old friend from when we were students together." Then he grinned. "But yes, it looks like you'll be looking after yourselves tonight."

"Then we need to get you ready," Hayley said. "There's no way you're going out in your conference suit."


	2. Chapter 2 - Some Enchanted Evening

(Jeff Winger's hotel, 7PM)

The girls had been as good as their word. Jeff had been ordered into his bathroom to shower, shave, moisturise and tease his hair into just the right urban casual look, and in the meantime they had ironed and laid out his favorite (eye-wateringly expensive) pale blue Marc Jacobs shirt, dark blue sports jacket and cream-coloured slacks.

Jeff sprayed on some of his favourite cologne, finished getting dressed and stepped out into the corridor where Hayley and Gemma were waiting.

Gemma nodded. "You'll do." Then she smiled. "Have a nice evening professor."

Hayley grinned. "Be good, and if you can't – be careful."

Jeff tutted at her. "The same goes for you two – don't make me regret leaving you unescorted."

"We're all adults here you know."

"That's what I'm afraid of," Jeff grinned, then went serious. "But thanks guys, I appreciate this."

XXXXXX

(Annie Edison's hotel, 7:20)

It had only been a ten minute taxi ride from his hotel, so Jeff had arrived a little early. Rather than risk surprising Annie, he went into the hotel bar and ordered a Diet Coke while he waited. While he did so, he found himself thinking back to the last time he'd seen Annie – she'd come back from her summer internship with the FBI bubbling over with excitement at having her application for the FBI Academy accepted, even if it did barely leave her with enough time to sort out some administrative details about graduating from Greendale and putting her things into storage prior to getting them shipped across the country. They'd had a going away party the night before she left, and the day after Jeff had driven her to the airport again. They'd hugged, kissed and promised to stay in touch.

Then the disillusionment had set in. The texts and emails from Annie got shorter and further apart, with the very last message being an apology that she would not be able to return to Greendale for the Christmas break as she needed to study and promising to sort something out in the new year. Jeff had tried to reestablish contact around the time she should have graduated, only to find her contact details had gone dead and Quantico refusing to say any more than that she'd graduated early and was on a classified assignment. Literally the next thing he'd heard from her was when she walked up to the podium at the conference. He didn't know whether to be excited to see her again, scared, or -

He checked his phone. It said 7:29. _Close enough._ He tapped in the number on her business card and started typing.

 _ **Downstairs in your hotel bar. Ready whenever you are.**_

(Annie Edison's hotel room, 7:30PM)

Annie had got back from her meeting forty five minutes earlier. Since then she'd showered, blow-dried her hair, put on fresh makeup, lipstick, perfume and underwear and was standing by her suitcase wondering what to wear when she got Jeff's message. She read it and smiled.

 _ **I'll be down in five**_ , she replied. She thought briefly about putting her suit back on, then rejected it. Instead she dived into her suitcase and took out her off-duty dress – royal blue, cap sleeves, modest neckline and just above knee length. She looked at it, smiled, wriggled into it, brushed her hair again and retrieved her shoes and purse before slipping out of her room.

XXXXXX

Jeff had been in a state of barely suppressed panic ever since texting Annie. Ever since she left the conference he had been consumed by the thought she would disappear again when he felt his phone vibrate with an incoming message. He took it out and almost sobbed with relief when he saw her reply message. _What the hell's the matter with you, Winger? Annie or not, no woman should be able to do this to you!_

It was actually closer to ten minutes before the elevator doors opened and Jeff saw her step out and walk over to the bar where he was waiting. He instinctively stood up as an expression of awed amazement crossed his face - Annie looked completely different from three hours ago. _Damn, but she really knows how to wear that dress,_ was the first coherent thought he had. In Jeff's imagination, it wasn't so much covering her curves as caressing them - _stop that, Winger!_ Annie walked across the bar at a sedate pace with a swing in her hips. By the time she reached Jeff, he was a long way from being the only one in the bar who couldn't take his eyes off her.

"Well?" she said with a distinctly sultry smile on her face.

Jeff felt a smile spread across his own face. "If that dress is your way of saying a three hour wait was worth it, then I agree. Unreservedly."

Annie rolled her eyes at him. "It's my way of saying I want to relax and enjoy the evening." She said with an exasperated smile that Jeff remembered far too well. "You're not exactly dressed down yourself, Jeff." Annie's look had turned appraising. "Still working out, I see."

Jeff grinned. "Hey, a body like this has to be earned. Do you want to spend the rest of the night here, or find a real bar? I think I saw one just up the road."

"Let's walk." She said, but she stayed put, but with an expression on her face as though she was expecting something from Jeff. He raised an eyebrow and offered her his arm.

"Milady?"

She flashed him a brilliant smile and put her hand round it.

"Milord."

Jeff felt his heart skip a beat as she said it. With a distinct swagger in his hips, he led her out of the hotel and to the nearby bar.

"Now, what does a girl have to do to get a drink around here?" she said after they arrived.

"Wear a dress like that, I suspect." Jeff grinned, Annie rolled her eyes again but smiled back at him.

"Appletini?" he said.

"I'm impressed you remembered but I'm not twenty two anymore, Jeff - make it a proper martini."

 _No, you're really not._ Jeff was still coming to terms with just how amazing, dammit - how _grown up_ Annie was looking.

"Shaken or stirred?"

"I'm an FBI agent, not British Secret Service Jeff. I really doubt it matters." The smile on her face was, just - damn - sexy, knowing and very, very grown up. It was a look she must have learned after Greendale - Jeff had a sudden moment of intense jealousy as he thought of the guys she would have practiced it on. _You let her go, remember?_ he thought to himself as he fought the feeling down and went to the bar to get the drinks.

When he got back, Jeff handed her her drink. He wanted to keep things light and cheerful, he really did, but he couldn't - he had to have an answer to the thing that was eating away at him.

"It's been a long time, Annie," he said in a quiet tone of voice that was one part sad, one part accusatory.

Annie flinched slightly and broke eye contact, but ever since she had agreed to meet with Jeff tonight she had known she would have to answer this question, just as Jeff had known he would have to ask it. So she looked him in the eyes again and told him about how Quantico had been so much harder than she expected, how she had to spend all her time studying – not just to keep up, but to make up for what she should have learned for her Bachelor's degree but hadn't because Greendale was too chaotic to teach it.

She had graduated nevertheless – and Jeff noted the bitter pride in her voice as she said this – but she had been recruited for a task force whose work was sufficiently classified she'd had to close all her social media accounts and restrict contact with anybody who hadn't been vetted.

"The task force was wound up last September, we got thanked for our hard work and reminded it was still secret and any leaks would earn the leaker a one-way ticket to Guantanamo. I was assigned to the FBI office in Norfolk, Virginia and things finally started to go back to normal. I got an apartment, free time - and a boyfriend."

Annie looked at Jeff closely. She didn't miss the fleeting look of sadness that crossed his face - indeed, she was oddly cheered by it - but she didn't comment on it either. Jeff was spared the need to reply immediately as a waiter arrived and put a bowl of olives, another of bread and a plate of antipasti on the table. Jeff took the opportunity to ask for more drinks, then turned back to Annie. "I ordered snacks," he said apologetically. "I don't know about you but I haven't eaten yet." He was silent for another long moment, then he smiled suddenly.

"You do realise that custom and precedent requires me to hate him and go on a self-deluding and destructive jealous rampage now, don't you?"

Annie looked at him in surprise. _Have you really grown up enough to be that honest with yourself Jeff, or have we just grown apart?_ she thought. Instead she just smiled at him, pulled out her phone and opened up the picture gallery and passed it over.

"His name's Paul, and he works for the Federal Prosecutor's office. We met when he was assigned to a case I was lead investigator on, he asked me out when we got a guilty verdict and we've been living together since May. He's a good man, Jeff."

"He needs to be, if he's going to deserve to be with you." Jeff didn't notice Annie's expression soften, instead he was focussing on the picture - a tall man with blond hair and blue eyes and a brilliant white smile. A few years older than Annie - _but probably not as old as me,_ he thought, slightly sourly - but wearing it confidently.

"Don't say it, Jeff," Annie said with a mischievous smile on her face.

Jeff was genuinely surprised. "Say what?"

"He's a lawyer and he looks like you."

Jeff laughed softly. "You always did have good taste in men. Well, apart from Vaughn, and Rich, and -"

"Careful Jeff…" Annie wasn't sure whether to be amused or irritated. "There was nothing wrong with Troy, and even you weren't as bad as you liked to think you were."

"There was one thing wrong with us," Jeff said softly. Annie raised a questioning eyebrow. Jeff read it.

"Neither of us realised how lucky we were to have you interested in us until it was too late."

Annie blushed slightly, looked down at her glass and decided to change the subject. "I thought several times about getting in touch again, but there was a part of me that felt that Greendale was some bizarre dream that I'd woken up from and I was afraid to go back to it in case I'd find I'd changed too much and we weren't friends anymore. I felt I'd almost rather just hold on to the memories than risk that." _I was afraid to see what pit you'd fallen into without me. And yet you seem to be… okay._ A small, selfish part of Annie was offended that Jeff seemed to have shaken off losing her so easily. The rest of her fought that down and carried on.

Jeff nodded in understanding, then waved his scotch glass between the two of them. "And?" he said.

Annie knew immediately what he was asking. She smiled. "I think it's going okay, so far."

He bowed slightly and smiled back.

"Despite that," Annie said, "when I got the invitation to the launch party of Abed's new series I accepted and got as far as booking plane tickets to California - I'd actually started to look forward to it, then the trial date of a case I was lead investigator on got brought forward and I had to be in court."

Jeff thought back to the party - _who'd have thought Abed's old web series about us would get picked up by a network as the basis for a sitcom?_ _Still, it got us an expenses paid break in California._ "You were missed," he said. "Britta, Craig and I were there from Greendale, Shirley made it and even Smilin' Menace dropped by with a posse in tow."

"Nice of Troy to make it," Annie said.

"It was a great party," Jeff said. "We got our pictures taken with the actors playing us, and the actress playing you hit on me. _Really_ hard. That was a great weekend, though I had to change my booking for the return flight." He grinned as Annie spluttered. "I'm still not completely sure if she was interested in me for me, or if she was just doing character research," he said ruefully. "Though I suppose I should have gotten a clue when she turned up for our date in a flowery dress, ballet flats and a green cardigan. The lingerie she had on was nothing like what you would have worn back then however, though it would have suited you."

" _Jeff!"_ Annie was now giggling helplessly, and bright pink with embarrassment. Jeff had a huge grin on his face as he watched her. "I'm not sure I'll ever be able to watch 'Second Chances' the same way ever again." She finally got out.

"The debate episode is in two weeks." Jeff was still grinning.

"Oh, god!" Annie gasped. "I'm going to have to warn Paul, aren't I?"

Jeff's grin was even wider, if possible. "Pleased to be of service, Special Agent."

"Thank you, professor," she said dryly, but with a soft smile on her face.

"Well, that's me up to date – what about you, Jeff? You're looking better than I expected – _much_ better." Annie's smile was borderline flirtatious.

Jeff smiled back. "Admit it – you were half expecting me to look like Duncan at best and be a washed out old drunk on a park bench at worst…" Annie's expression turned apologetic, but she didn't deny it.

"I can't say I blame you," he said thoughtfully. "I was in a bad place that last year you were there – Pierce was dead, Shirley and Troy had left, and I knew it was only a matter of time before you and Abed went. The thought of being on my own terrified me and I reacted badly." He looked pensive for a moment.

"If it wasn't for the women in my life, three in particular, I might have ended up on that park bench," he said thoughtfully, and went on to tell Annie of how Britta had challenged him – maybe he can't be the best defence lawyer in Colorado any more, but what was his excuse for not being the best community college lecturer? Was he really happier having students laugh behind his back at the guy who handed out A's just for turning up? Frankie had joined in by warning him she was going to run another round of purging Greendale of blow-off classes and teachers who didn't teach – and friendship wouldn't save him if he didn't shake up. Faced with the prospect of failing for the second time in three years, Jeff's pride was stung and he'd gotten angry. So he read some books, drew up a lesson plan that involved teaching law and audited a class at Denver Sturm.

"And then a strange thing happened," he continued. "I got good at it, and I started to enjoy it – having an entire class of students hanging on to every word you say is almost as good a feeling as giving a really good closing and knowing you're winning the jury. It really was almost as good as being in court again." Jeff smiled at the memory.

"So Jeff Winger got his life back by rediscovering the ego-boosting joy of having a room full of people listening and looking up to him? Who could have seen that coming?" Annie asked dryly.

"Ouch – you're getting really good at this sarcasm thing, Annie." Jeff grinned at her.

"It's not the only thing I'm good at," she said. "Don't think I haven't noticed you haven't mentioned the third one yet."

"The FBI trains its agents well," Jeff said wryly.

"Her name is Melanie Callaghan," he said. "She was a student who signed up that fall semester, a divorcee who'd put her life on hold to support her husband only to have him run off with his secretary. I _hated_ her – she had absolutely no respect for my position as her teacher, never laughed at my jokes, and delighted in asking questions I couldn't answer and humiliating me in front of the class. It got so bad I would do extra reading before lessons just to be ready to beat whatever smartass point she made into the ground." He paused and sipped his drink for a moment.

"In fact, one day I was in the teacher's lounge ranting to Cligoris and Duncan about some particularly jerkassy question she'd asked. You know what they said?"

Annie shook her head. Jeff smiled. "Now you know what it was like to have Edison in your class for an entire semester."

Annie was taking a sip from her drink – she coughed suddenly and put her glass down. Jeff went serious again. "They also said it was students like that, the Edisons and Callaghans of this world who refused to allow you to coast, who forced you to teach them, who would be the ones you remembered for the rest of your life. Because they were the ones who made teaching a vocation, who made it something more than keeping a roof over your head. They were right, too." Jeff raised his glass as though toasting Annie. "It was arguing with you that first semester I taught at Greendale that showed me I could be a decent teacher – I allowed myself to forget that, arguing with Callaghan reminded me and this time I didn't allow myself to forget."

She changed the subject slightly. "So, what's this 'Greendale Justice Project' that's brought you here, then?"

Jeff's mood went sombre as he told Annie of a kid in his class whose brother had been arrested for Driving While Black in a nice part of town. The arresting officer had seen a chance to pin a bunch of unsolved cases on him, and all of a sudden he was looking at a plea bargain to accept a sentence of 18 months or risk a trial and twenty years. Jeff had looked at the case file, spotted a bunch of holes in the prosecution's case and offered to represent the kid on a contingency basis. Not only had he won, but with a countersuit he'd got enough in damages to pay the kid's college fees.

Jeff grinned as he recounted his triumph, then went serious again. "The asshole cop who set him up got suspended on full pay for 'failing to follow proper procedures' until he attended a diversity awareness course and was then reinstated. There are times when I _really_ don't like cops. Present company excepted, of course." He nodded at Annie with a wry expression on his face.

"We're not all like that, Jeff," she said grimly.

"No, you're not Annie – but too many of the ones who aren't are happy to shield the ones who are. It's called the 'Blue Wall' for a reason, after all."

Annie's expression did not improve.

Jeff decided to move the story on, telling how Callahan had basically nagged him into writing an article for a legal journal about the case, which had led to requests to take on similar cases, which led to Greendale - Frankie approving of the positive publicity - authorising him to set up a programme with school funds and recruit student volunteers.

"It was Callahan who came up with the 'Justice Project' name and joined up as the first volunteer."

"I thought you hated her?" Annie asked.

Jeff grinned. "You know what I'm like with these annoying busybodies Annie – at first they drive me up the wall, then I kind of get used to having them around, and then when they're not around I find I miss the noise and the stress more than anything." Annie smiled and rolled her eyes. "Callahan left at the end of that year – she transferred to CU Boulder to do a proper law degree – and it left a hole similar to the one you left. Not as big of course, but similar. She did let me have a dance at the Tranny Dance though." Jeff had a slightly faraway, nostalgic expression on his face. "The Tranny Dance is probably my favorite occasion in Greendale's social calendar now, for all sorts of reasons." This time he looked Annie straight in the eyes, and his smile was knowing, mischievous. She smiled back.

"The Project has done pretty well since – we take on two or three cases a semester, and as our profile has increased local law firms have started to take an interest and donate pro bono time to help us out. More importantly, I got to head up a newly created law department at Greendale with a full time secretary and intern to do the boring administrative stuff while I concentrate on looking good in sharp suits and being charismatic in courts." Jeff grinned at Annie.

"I'm glad to see you've got your priorities right, Jeff." Annie said dryly.

"Of course I have – the world needs to see more of this!" Jeff pointed at his face with another grin.

Annie rolled her eyes.

His face went grim again. "Mind you, I wouldn't be so busy if cops were more honest – at least half our caseload is miscarriage of justice cases involving people who couldn't afford to pay for a lawyer and got railroaded. If the police only followed the damn rules that were in place to protect people instead of going for the kill regardless of how guilty a suspect was then I'd have less work and everybody would be happier."

Annie's mood went dark again. "And law enforcement wouldn't be so tempted to find a way around the rules if they weren't so complex and changing constantly – and do you know why they keep changing?" She was looking him straight in the eye now, her face flushed red with anger. "Because sleazy defence lawyers keep finding loopholes to put dangerous criminals back on the street!" She paused for breath for a moment. "Decent, hard working police officers risk their lives every day only to see some lawyer in a six thousand dollar suit put a criminal back on the streets because they filled in the wrong form –"

Jeff looked shocked. "What the hell happened to you, Annie? The rules we have are designed to protect the innocent from being railroaded, not to set the guilty free – I thought you knew that!"

Annie's rage briefly flared white hot, but then she saw the shocked expression on Jeff's face and the biting retort she had ready died on her lips. Instead she sighed.

"When did you become the optimistic idealist always wanting to do the right thing and I the jaded cynic happy with the end justifying the means?"

Jeff looked at her wistfully. "Maybe it was when we both grew up?"

She smiled at that. "We were so immature back then. Growing up sucks."

Annie decided to shift the subject to a lighter topic.

"So Jeff, you know about my private life, but we never got to talk about yours. Is there a special lady?"

Jeff smiled, shook his head. "I've dated a few times, there have been a couple of women who I got fond of and who stayed around for a while. But nobody special since, well…" He halted for a moment.

 _Since I left?_ Annie thought to herself. She didn't say anything, but her eyes showed she understood what Jeff was saying. "You'll get there," she said. "I said you'd be okay, didn't I?" Her smile turned mischievous. "After all, I can't imagine you're short of offers."

Jeff actually chuckled at that. Annie smiled again. "Look," she said. "It's my turn to get a drink. Scotch?"

On his nod, she stood up and walked over to the bar. Jeff watched her go. He waited for the part of his conscience - or self-loathing, or whatever - that had always reared its head when he allowed himself to notice Annie _that way_ to show itself. It was nowhere to be seen. _Damn, but she really is all grown up now._ He shook his head and smiled softly to himself.

Annie came back to the table a couple of minutes later.

"So, how's Britta?" She asked when she got back.

"Enjoying being a mother," Jeff said, deadpan.

"That's ni - _what?_ Oh Jeff, don't tell me you didn't?…" She looked appalled.

Jeff was hugely amused. "Seriously, Annie? After all the times we proved how bad we were together, you thought we'd take another trip around that block? Oh no." Jeff told instead how Britta had gone off to a rock concert/protest rally over the Thanksgiving break and had spent the entire time so high she was even more careless about protection than she was about the guys she picked up. Then a month after she'd got back she'd knocked on his door holding a positive test in one hand and fighting down tears. Jeff took her in until she calmed down, at which point she decided she was keeping the baby, who turned out to be a cute little girl who looked like her mother.

"Taylor always has a big hug for uncle Jeff," he finished the story, smiling at a recent memory.

 _You guys have so much history now that I'm not part of anymore,_ Annie found herself thinking with a trace of surprised sadness.

"Oh _come on_ Jeff," she said instead. "Even as out of touch as I was, I think I would have heard if Britta had a baby…"

Jeff shook his head. "Believe it or not, she never made a formal announcement. Something about being a modern, liberated woman who refused to be defined by her fertility, but if you ask me she just wanted to postpone having to go over the whole 'no idea who the father is' thing with Shirley for as long as possible."

"Ouch." Annie winced. "That must have been interesting."

Jeff smiled again. "Actually, Shirley ended up thinking Taylor was so adorable she didn't have it in her to be more than mildly judgmental."

Annie nodded. "Whatever she thought about the rest of us, she always had a big heart where children were concerned," she said, remembering nights babysitting Shirley's boys in exchange for dinner and gossip.

"I miss Shirley," Annie said wistfully. "I miss everybody. It's been so long, I spent so much time trying to build a future I forgot about the past, but you guys were the first people who -"

Jeff was shocked to see she suddenly seemed to be on the verge of tears.

"Hey, stop that," he said. "We're supposed to be having fun - women don't normally cry until after I've had sex with them!"

Annie looked up with a shocked expression on her face.

"Erm, that is to say -" Jeff stammered.

"Oh, Jeff…" Annie was shaking her head and smiling now.

 _Even if I made an idiot of myself, that's still better than tears,_ Jeff thought. He reached over the table and took hold of her hand. She let him. "You've got nothing to be upset about Annie, you had every right to build your own life and think of yourself first. However much time you need we would still be there for you."

"I know that Jeff - still, it's good to hear. Damn." She'd picked up her glass and seen it was empty.

Jeff saw where she was looking, smiled, let go of her hand and headed for the bar.

When he came back to the table a couple of minutes later Annie asked about Abed - Jeff said he saw him at least once a year when he came back to Greendale to visit his father, plus two trips Jeff had taken to LA, one for a case and one for the launch party of 'Second Chances'. About Craig - he'd been sidelined into a "Dean of Students" post when Frankie reorganised the College administration, creating a new post of College President; running Greendale's social life was his sole responsibility now and he was flourishing. She didn't ask about Troy - she'd followed Smilin' Menace's career through the media as well as Jeff had and even attended a concert once, though Troy hadn't known she was there. Shirley and Britta she thought they'd already talked about. But mostly they just talked, every now and then one of them would go to the bar, and as they reminisced the years fell away until it felt like they were simply Jeff and Annie again and the real world was a place they could avoid for a while.

"Oh, damn." Annie said when she heard a clock chime and saw it had turned twelve.

"Disney princesses need to be home by midnight. I understand." Jeff said with a grin.

"Har, har, Jeff." But Annie wasn't offended. "I don't know about you, but I have to be up in the morning."

"Unfortunately, so do I," he said. "The conference has one more day to run and we're flying back to Denver in the evening." He threw back the last of his scotch and stood up as Annie did.

"Walk me back to my hotel," she said. "There's usually a taxi waiting outside." Jeff nodded, and this time he didn't need to be prompted to offer his arm. She smiled as she took it. They didn't talk much on the walk back to her hotel, the closeness and the silence seemed to say everything they needed to say.

"Well, here we are," Annie said, outside the lobby of her hotel. She'd turned to face Jeff. "Let's promise it won't be so long before next time."

"Deal," Jeff said, smiling down at her. Annie smiled back at him, stepped forward and pulled him into a hug. Jeff hugged her back for a long moment, committing the softness and warmth of her to memory. They separated.

Jeff looked at Annie - her eyes were warm and soft and huge and sparkling in the streetlights and all of a sudden it was ten years ago and Jeff was outside the Tranny dance. He pulled Annie back towards him, her mouth opened slightly with surprise as Jeff kissed her, and then she was kissing him back as their arms wrapped around each other and pulled each other as close together as possible. She moaned slightly as their tongues met and Jeff's hand tangled into her hair, caressing the back of her head and -

"I'm sorry Jeff, but I can't do this!" She pulled away suddenly. "I'm sorry -" she said again, turning on a heel and walking as fast as she could to the hotel door. Jeff felt rooted to the spot.

"Crap. Crapcrap _crap."_

XXXXXX

Author's note: I don't know what episode the picture accompanying this story is from, but as far as this story is concerned it's the moment just before Jeff kisses Annie in this chapter...


	3. Chapter 3 - Weary, Feeling Small

Annie slammed her hotel room door behind her. She kicked off her shoes and slumped on her bed. She thought for a moment and pulled out her phone.

" _Hi, honey."_ The voice on the other end said.

"Hi Paul, sorry for calling so late but I met an old friend at the Conference and only just got back. I've missed you."

" _Missed you too, when are you coming back?"_

"If I can finish early, I should be able to leave tomorrow evening and we can spend the weekend together."

"That's great babe, so - tell me about this friend of yours…"

Annie smiled wanly. "We were in a study group together. He was an ex-lawyer who crashed and burned after some ethical issues and needed to re-qualify. After we graduated he stayed on at Greendale as a teacher. He was at the conference with a group of his students, it was the first time we'd seen each other since I left so we had a fair amount of catching up to do."

"That's nice, you'll have to tell me how it went. How was the rest of your day? Did you knock them dead at the conference?"

"I think so, but nothing much else happened. It was pretty boring - I can't wait to get home and see you again."

"Me neither - see you tomorrow. Love you, Annie."

"Love you too, Paul."

XXXXXX

(The following evening)

(Jeff Winger's apartment, Greendale)

Jeff looked at his phone and the latest draft of a text message to Annie apologising for what happened and expressing the hope they were still friends. _Garbage._ He thought to himself. _Just garbage, like all the other drafts._ Feeling disgusted with himself he deleted it and put a key in the lock, opened it and stepped inside with a faint sigh. He hanged his coat up, threw his keys on the counter and was about to make himself a drink when the door to the guest room opened and a tall, slim redhead in a Colorado buffaloes sweatshirt and pyjama trousers stepped out. Jeff looked up.

"Sorry Callaghan, did I wake you?"

She held up a text book and smiled. "Doing some reading. Welcome back professor." She took a good look at him, then the smile faded. "Geez Jeff, what happened to you? You look like somebody died." Without waiting for a response, she walked over to the kitchen, took out a bottle and two glasses.

Jeff sighed again. "I met an old friend in DC."

"Can't have been much of a friend if you're looking like that." She poured two scotches, one of which she handed to Jeff. He thanked her, and took a long swig.

"It was Annie." He said by way of reply.

She hesitated for a moment, then had a flash of memory. "Ah, prequel Mel." She said.

Jeff smiled wanly. "You know Abed refers to you as reboot Annie."

"And you know what I think of that. What does he know anyway? Aside from everything that is?" She smiled back at him. "So how badly did it go for you to end up like this?"

Jeff hesitated for a moment. He hadn't planned on being anything other than honest - he certainly had no particular reason not to be where Callaghan was concerned - but he was realising he was ashamed of his loss of control and had no desire to talk about it. With anybody. So he thought of the next best thing he could say instead. "It actually went pretty well most of the evening, but then we had a stupid fight and it ended with her storming off without even saying goodbye."

"Jeff, you don't see this girl for how many years and then you fight? What was so important than you needed to do that?"

"It was stupid, cop/defence lawyer stuff. Nothing important. I know I should apologise, but every time I tried to write a text it didn't feel right so I deleted it. I'm not sure I'm up for even trying to call her."

"So write her a letter then." Jeff looked baffled, so she explained further. "You know - old school, paper, pen and ink. You can dump as many drafts as you need and only send her the finished version. She'll appreciate the effort you went to and read it with more care than a text or an email."

Jeff stared at his friend. "Callaghan, you're a genius."

"Of course I am. I survived being taught by you, didn't I?"

Jeff actually managed something close to a proper smile this time.

She picked up her own glass and took a sip of the scotch. "If that's everything Jeff, it is getting late…"

Jeff nodded. "Thanks Mel, see you in the morning."

"Goodnight Jeff." She turned and walked back to her room, taking the scotch with her.

"Goodnight Callaghan."

XXXXXX

(Paul Randall's house; Norfolk, Virginia)

"Wow, babe," Paul had a huge grin on his face as the kiss finally wound down. "If that's your way of saying 'glad to be back' then I'm going to have to make you take more business trips."

Annie smiled up at him. "Well, I am." _It's also my way of saying I don't want my most recent memory of being kissed to be with someone other than my boyfriend._ But Annie didn't say that. she also didn't say - and barely acknowledged to herself - that it lacked the sheer electricity of the earlier kiss. When that thought did cross her mind, she put it down to alcohol, the adrenalin rush of reconnecting after such a long time and lingering memories of a teenage crush and firmly buried it.

"Come on," she said to her boyfriend. "Let's get inside - we've got so much catching up to do."

XXXXXX

(The next morning)

Jeff cursed, screwed up the latest draft of his letter and threw it at the wall. The small pile of similarly scrunched up balls of paper testified to the previous dozen drafts that had met the same fate. He leaned back, stretched and tried to massage away the stress headache. _This is hard! Too formal, too informal, too sentimental, too rational, too everything! There's something wrong with everything!_

He picked another sheet of headed letter paper off the pile and paused for a moment. He looked at the framed photograph of the study group taken at his graduation party, and especially the petite brunette in the front row, and smiled softly. _As long as it takes. The reason why you're doing it this way is because she's worth the effort._

He relaxed, cleared his mind for a moment and started writing again. He tried to keep a formal, respectful tone but that only lasted the first few sentences and then he was writing from the heart. When he finished, he read it through again, twice, and nodded. _I don't think it's going to get better than this. Here goes everything._ Before his courage could fail him, he put it in an envelope, sealed it, and carefully labelled it with the address on Annie's business card.

XXXXXX

Annie was woken up by the morning sunlight streaming through the bedroom window, the first thing she noticed after that was that the sheets on Paul's side of the bed had been thrown back and he was no longer there. She yawned, got up, put on her robe and headed downstairs. She heard music playing faintly in the kitchen and a masculine voice singing along.

 _When times get rough_

 _And friends just can't be found_

 _Like a bridge over troubled water_

 _I will lay me down..._

She smiled as she listened, Paul was a Simon and Garfunkel fan though he didn't play it often around the house as he knew she wasn't. _He's a good man who cares for you, he deserves better than having you thinking about Jeff Winger_ _._ She crept up behind him where he was working at the stove and embraced him with all her strength, burying her face in his back.

"I love you, Paul."

He turned around with a delighted smile on his face and returned her embrace. "Love you too, Annie." He kissed the top of her head and pointed to the steadily growing pile by the side of the stove. "Pancakes?"

 _Sail on Silver Girl,_

 _Sail on by_

 _Your time has come to shine_

 _All your dreams are on their way..._

XXXXXX

 _Professor J T Winger_

 _Department of Law_

 _Greendale Community College_

 _Greendale_

 _Colorado_

 _Dear Annie,_

 _I feel I should apologise for contacting you with something so archaic as a handwritten letter, but following the way things ended last week I felt it was the best way of ensuring that my words were appropriate, not open to misunderstanding and above all honest._

 _First of all, I apologise for what happened. Granted, what we did is a difficult thing for me to regret doing, but I unreservedly regret putting you in a position where you felt embarrassed and uncomfortable and that you had to leave immediately so we were unable to say a proper goodbye. At the very least you deserve a proper explanation._

 _The truth of the matter is, I've missed you Annie. Until last week it had been almost five years since I saw you last, and I honestly thought I'd moved on. I no longer had days where I thought the time was wasted if I didn't talk to you or see you smile, I no longer spent days wondering what you were doing or if you ever thought about me and if so, how. When I won a case in court or helped one of my students find a job I no longer thought 'Annie would be so proud if she saw me now'._

 _Then you walked up to the speaker's podium at the conference last week. It was as though the last four years and two hundred and fifty three days (yes, I sat down and calculated it) were a dream that I was waking up from and I realised what it was that was missing in my life, and spending the evening with you served only to clarify things. For the truth of the matter is that, whatever else we were to each other (and a single letter is not enough to go into all the pain, grief, misunderstanding and deception behind that phrase, mostly inflicted by me and suffered by you) you were always my closest and best friend for all the years we were at Greendale together._

 _What I learned spending the evening with you is that it is one thing to have friends, but quite another to have a best friend. I miss my best friend, I miss Annie Edison, and it meant so much to have you back in my life even for one evening. If the way things ended last week mean that you are unwilling or unable to say the same, then I can only apologise again and hope that one day you will change your mind and feel able to think well of me once more. Until then I remain,_

 _Yours ever,_

 _Jeff._

XXXXXX

Annie folded the letter up and put it down carefully. _No, Annie. You know it's a mistake to let Jeff Winger back into your life - you have a life, a job and a boyfriend now. Allowing him back will only add stress to everything, it won't help anything. The right thing to do is to put this letter in the shredder and forget ever receiving it. Jeff isn't Blade, and you're not Britta. You don't have to run when he calls. This ends here._

XXXXXX

Jeff was teaching a lesson about the sixth amendment in his summer school Constitutional Law class when he felt his phone vibrate twice. He willed himself to ignore it until he could dismiss the class, then he pulled out his phone. He sat up straight when he saw who the messages were from. Trembling slightly, he put his thumb on the screen where it said "Annie" and swiped sideways.

 _ **Of course we're still friends, doofus.**_ The first message said.

 _ **And it was 4Y254D. You missed a leap year.**_ {eyeroll emoji} The second one said.

Jeff smiled, and composed a reply.

 _ **I'm a lawyer, not a day planner.**_ {happyface emoji}


	4. Chapter 4 - Faraway Is Close At Hand

Jeff and Britta have a rule. Unless one of them is out of town for any reason, they meet up at least once a week for lunch, a couple of drinks and some quality snarking. The second Thursday after Jeff returned from DC they'd agreed to meet in a German themed Beer Garden that opened recently (that it was a venture started up by two of Jeff's Greendale Foosball rivals after they graduated is an irony lost on neither of them).

"Uncle Jeff!" Jeff grinned as the three year old staggered across the grass towards him. He bent down, picked her up and threw her in the air, catching her as she came down, screaming with laughter.

"Hiya, munchkin. Missed you," he said with a grin as she put her chubby arms around his neck. He looked past Taylor to Britta, who was trying hard to look disapproving, but couldn't stop herself from smiling.

"Hey babe - I got you a present." He said, handed her back to Britta and picking up the bag he'd dropped.

"What The Heck Is That?" Britta was gaping in disbelief as she put Taylor in her high chair. Jeff grinned.

" _Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent..._ "

"It's an animatronic Abraham Lincoln. As Taylor has just worked out, If you press down on his hat he recites the Gettysburg Address."

Britta tapped the hat again and it stopped. Taylor's face fell.

"That is quite possibly the most tasteless thing I've ever seen, and I've seen your DVD collection." Britta said, appalled.

"Hey - it was either that or a Barbie, and I know how you feel about - "

"Give it here, sweetheart." Britta tried to take it away. Taylor clung on like grim death. Britta sighed. "Okay then, but no playing with his hat, okay?" Taylor beamed and nodded.

She picked up a menu, opened it and grinned suddenly.

"What's so funny?" Jeff said.

"Do you ever find yourself wishing Pierce was still around?"

"Not often, but sometimes." He said, thinking of Silvio's, the old fashioned gentleman's barber he visited at least twice a month. "Why?"

Britta, still grinning, passed the menu over.

"Oh." Jeff said, as a smile spread across his face as he looked at the second page -

"July at the Old Bavarian Bierkeller

is

SAUSAGEFEST!"

Followed by a list of menu options.

A waitress walked up to their table, wearing a traditional dirndl with a low cut blouse and overflowing bosoms. "GUTEN TAG, ICH BIN VICKI" her name-badge said. She went pale as she recognised them and then glared as though defying them to make something of it. They each did a double take, but decided not to and Britta ordered beer and sandwiches while Jeff ordered the SausageFest special of three Bavarian sausages and a pint of beer. Britta got out a pot of fruit puree for Taylor.

"So, something weird happened today," Britta said. "I got friend requests from Annie across all my Social Media apps."

"Yeah – she sent me some requests a couple of days ago and when I accepted she must have started to work through my contacts. Did you accept?"

"Duh doy," she rolled her eyes at him. "You must have made a favourable impression on her in DC for her to get back in touch after all these years. It's been, what? Three years since she dropped us?"

Jeff grinned. "She had to drop social media when she joined the task force. And what can I say? I've still got it."

"I bet you didn't tell her about the redhead living with you though."

"I've told you before, Britta – Mel is staying in my spare room while she spends the summer as an intern with Cuthbert, Dibble & Grub. We're not 'living together'." He made an air quotes gesture.

"Hah." Britta looked sceptical. "And I bet you haven't told Mel about kissing Annie in DC either."

"Of course not. It's none of –" Jeff stopped suddenly as he saw the triumphant expression on Britta's face.

"You've been therapised, mister!"

"Seriously Britta, no matter how often you say it that's not going to become a real word. And I've never mentioned such a thing to you either!"

"Oh come on, Jeff – an entire evening together for the first time in almost five years? Just the two of you, revisiting the Jeff-and-Annie of it all with nobody around to judge? There's no way you'd have the willpower to _not_ try to kiss her." She was still grinning at him.

Jeff was now looking distinctly out of sorts at being trapped so easily. "Seriously Britta - and I say this as someone who loves you dearly - but you've got to start smoking pot again. You're getting too good at this stuff now you're not high all the time," he grumbled.

"So tell me all the gory details then." Britta was still grinning.

Jeff sighed. "Patient/therapist confidentiality?"

Britta's smile went away. "You're not my patient, Jeff. Oh, thanks Vicki." Their food and drinks had arrived.

Jeff waited for Vicki to leave again. "I'm serious, Britta. I've apologised and Annie's okay about it for the moment, but she won't be okay if word gets out – she's got a boyfriend she wants to keep and gossip about us kissing wouldn't help."

"If that's what it takes Winger," Britta rolled her eyes at him. "Deal."

So Jeff told her about spotting Annie's name as a replacement speaker in the conference programme, meeting up with her afterwards for drinks and spending a pleasant evening catching up and reminiscing about the past. How they'd talked about the debate ("that was stupid") Tranny dance ("that was _really_ stupid") and how it ended with the kiss and Annie running back into the hotel.

"Then when I got back, Callaghan suggested a handwritten letter would be more effective than a text or email, so I wrote one. It must have worked, because I got a text message from her a few days later saying we were good. We've exchanged messages a couple of times since, and now she's reaching out to the rest of the gang." Jeff finished. "Whatever you do, don't tell her you know. As far as Annie - as far as anybody - is concerned, this conversation never took place. Understood?"

"Sheesh, Jeff." Britta's smile was well and truly turned upside down. "Your secret's safe with me."

" _The history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggle…"_

"Jeff, why is Abraham Lincoln reciting "The Communist Manifesto"?"

"I heard some models had been hacked, this one must have missed the recall. I can get it swapped, if you like?"

"No," Britta said with a smile. "I think we'll be keeping this."

XXXXXX

They'd just finished dinner and Paul had offered to load the dishwasher and tidy up in the kitchen, leaving Annie temporarily at a loose end. She picked up her tablet, smiled at the accepted friend requests, and opened an app and started typing.

 **AnnieE:** Hi Britta, just wanted to say thanks for accepting my friend requests and sorry for being quiet so long.

 **Brittatherapist:** it's okay Annie, it's just good to have you back. Jeff told me about how busy you've been.

 **AnnieE:** Did Jeff talk about anything else?

 **Brittatherapist:** Just that you'd had a nice evening catching up, that's all {smiley face emoji}

 **AnnieE:** Was that all?

 **Brittatherapist:** Yes, why? Did anything else happen? {smiley face emoji} {wink emoji}

 _Either she knows or she suspects something and is trying to get me to confess by pretending to know._ Annie however had been interrogated by people far more professional than Britta as part of her FBI training, so she decided to change the subject.

 **AnnieE:** Just one thing - are you sure about that username?

 **Brittatherapist:** what's wrong with it? My names Britta and I'm a therapist.

 **AnnieE:** Britta the rapist.

(Five minutes later)

 **BrittatheTherapist:** Winger is a dead man.

 **AnnieE:** {smiley face emoji} Oh Britta, don't tell me you took advice on your social media presence from the guy who designed the anus flag?

 **BrittatheTherapist:** But it made so much sense when he first explained it!

 **AnnieE:** This is Jeff, remember? It always makes sense while you're listening to him.

 **BrittatheTherapist:** I'm still cutting his liver out and feeding it to my cats though.

 **AnnieE:** Just a warning, but it's usually regarded as a bad idea to confess your plans to murder someone to an FBI Agent. {wink emoji}

 **BrittatheTherapist:** Hey - you know him. If anybody's going to believe it was justifiable homicide you would. {smiley face emoji}

 **AnnieE:** Just make it look like an accident, okay? {laughing emoji} I've got to go now {sad emoji} - Abed's show's starting in a few minutes. Goodbye, Britta.

 **BrittatheTherapist:** Bye, Annie.

XXXXXX

"Anything interesting, babe?" Paul said.

"My old friend Britta accepted a friend request. I was just saying thanks and chatting with her."

"This is you rebuilding your contacts after the FBI made you delete them, isn't it?"

 _They're friends, not contacts._ But Annie just nodded.

"Come and sit down," Paul smiled and tapped the seat next to him. "The show about your college years is about to start." Annie walked over and curled up next to him, Paul rested an arm across her shoulders.

XXXXXX

"Catch, professor." Callaghan tossed a beer from halfway across the lounge. Jeff snatched it neatly out of mid-air and unscrewed the cap.

"Thanks Mel." She sat on the opposite end of the sofa from Jeff and stretched her legs out so that, like his, they were resting on the coffee table. As the opening theme tune started she reached her bottle out to the side and clinked it against Jeff's. Their arms were so long neither of them needed to move to bridge the gap.

XXXXXX

 _Opening Credits. As the lively theme tune plays, a series of student IDs for the fictional Innsmouth Community College passes over the screen. In this way, we get our first glimpse of Jim Croker, Bryony Atwell, Antonio Fontana, Karim Malik, Hannah Morse, Carla Gordon and, separated slightly with an 'and starring', Kelsey Grammer as Archibald Rowan and 'guest starring' Ben Chang as dean Dean. The music comes to an end and the title card "SECOND CHANCES" fades out as the focus changes to a study room with the lead characters seated around a table._

XXXXXX

Annie's prediction to Jeff had been accurate - she did indeed find it difficult to watch the show the same way knowing that Jeff had slept with "Hannah Morse". It wasn't helped by the fact that this was going to be the debate episode and she'd forgotten to warn her boyfriend.

"Paul, there's something -"

"Shh babe, let's watch."

Well, I did try…

XXXXXX

"Did she really do that?" Callaghan said.

"Oh yes," said Jeff with a soft smile on his face as he remembered. "Letting her hair down like that was the first time I realised just how - hot, frankly - Annie could be. I could hardly stay in - yup, there I go…" Croker had just fled the scene.

XXXXXX

"Did you really do that?" Paul said.

Annie was cringing slightly. _I didn't get_ THAT _close to him! Did I?_ "Well I let my hair down of course, but I didn't rub my boobs in Jeff's face and he didn't look like he'd been punched in the gut either." She said.

XXXXXX

 _"He hates me, yet he caught me! Man is good!" Cranburne cries out from his position in Jim Croker's arms. The camera switches to Hannah Morse, whose face is pale with fury. Suddenly she strides forward, seizes Croker's face in both hands and kisses him. Croker abruptly drops Cranburne and puts his arms around Morse's body and crushes her to him as he returns the kiss, matching her intensity in full. The auditorium goes silent. Suddenly, Morse pulls away._

 _"He was horny, so he dropped him! Man! is! evil!"_

 _"Victory to Innsmouth!" The moderator cries as the audience erupts._

XXXXXX

"Did she really -" Callaghan said.

"Oh, yes."

"Was it really -"

"Oh, yes. When Annie decides to do something she goes all in, no holding back." Jeff had a faraway smile on his face.

XXXXXX

"Did you really?" Paul said.

"I'm afraid so." Annie said quietly. She was cringing into herself slightly - Abed didn't seem to have taken many liberties with that scene, but watching it was _so_ different to doing it. _Were we really that intense?_

Paul's arm left her shoulder. "And this was the guy you met up with in DC the other week?" His voice had acquired a dangerous tone.

"I took that kiss for the team." She said faintly. "It wasn't because we felt anything _like that_ about each other, it was about winning the debate - I couldn't think of anything else to do."

"Well, it certainly looked like you enjoyed yourselves."

Annie sighed. "The thing you should remember Paul is that - yes Jeff was a player and he knew how to kiss -" Paul grunted unhappily "- but that was ten years ago and he was much older than me even then. We never did more than kiss - it was Britta he slept with, I was always too young for him. These days he's well and truly retired from that sort of lifestyle, his idea of a wild evening is more likely to involve hot cocoa and Scrabble than chasing girls."

"Sorry Annie, it's just - you know." Paul had started to relax as Annie said her piece and on the mention of retirement his arm had gone back around her shoulder. "What the -"

XXXXXX

 _Croker and Morse are in the yard outside the gym. They are smiling at each other._

" _You took me by surprise, Hannah." He said. "And you know I never do my best work when I'm surprised - I'd really hate it if you thought that was my best work."_

" _Oh!" Morse squeaked suddenly as Croker gently took hold of the point of her chin, tipped it upwards and closed his mouth over hers. The kiss this time was soft and unhurried. When they separated Croker had a gentle smile on his face, but it was Morse's turn to look stunned._

 _"Goodnight, Morse." Croker said as he turned away and strolled off in the direction of the car park._

 _"Eep." Hannah Morse said._

 _Fade to black, end credits._

XXXXXX

"-Hell?!" Jeff said. "That never happened! She was only eighteen at the time - I couldn't even bring myself to hug her afterwards, I'd never have kissed her!" He furiously reached for his phone, opened up his Twitter app, and started typing. Callaghan watched his sudden outrage with an expression of wry amusement on her face.

XXXXXX

"That never happened!" Annie squawked. "He wouldn't even hug me - he patted me on the head!" She turned to Paul with a shocked look in her eyes. "You've got to believe me -"

Paul looked at how distressed she was. "It's okay, Annie - I believe you, relax." He smiled at her.

She felt her phone vibrate. Something had arrived on twitter -

 _professorjeff GreendaleCC: What the hell, Abed?_

Followed only a minute or so later by -

 _AbedNadir CAProductions: If you didn't kiss her Jeff, you should have - it's not my fault if reality doesn't match up to the standards required of fiction._

"See?" Annie said, showing her phone to Paul. "Even the guy making the show admits it's fiction."

"Babe, you have the weirdest friends." Paul said. "We really do need to have a talk about just how well you knew this guy though, now that he's back in your life." He said with an edge in his voice. "I don't want any more surprises like that."

Annie sighed - it was exactly this sort of jealousy she'd been afraid of when they sat down to watch the show. "As I said, Jeff's much older than me and that's all ancient history now…"


	5. Chapter 5 - Summertime

"Jeff, I need a favour."

"uh-hmm," Jeff replied, not raising his head from the papers he was marking.

"I need somebody killed and you were recommended as having a mean touch with a switchblade."

"Uh-h- what the heck, Callaghan?" That time, he looked up.

" _Now_ he listens." The redhead snarked as she lowered herself into the seat opposite him.

"I need to borrow your body on Saturday night."

Jeff finally put his pen down and met her gaze. "Unfortunately, I think I'll be using it."

Callaghan ignored him. "Cuthbert, Dibble and Grub are having their summer ball and the senior partners have made it clear that attendance is mandatory, interns included. I need somebody to stand next to me all evening so the junior partners don't hit on me as soon as their wives' backs are turned."

"You don't want a date, you want a chaperone! How very nineteen-fifties of you." Jeff smirked, she rolled her eyes.

"Well?"

"Saturday's only three days away. What makes you think I don't have plans?"

"Do you?"

"Well… no. But it's still wrong of you just to assume." Jeff was looking somewhat offended now.

"Don't be a jag, Jeff – worst case scenario, it's free food and drink, you get a chance to wear that tux that's hiding at the back of your wardrobe and you get to spend the night with a hot redhead."

"I thought I was supposed to be going with you?"

She scrunched up the piece of scrap paper she'd been idly playing with and threw it at him. Jeff grinned.

"You're only asking me because I'm the only guy you know who's still taller than you when you wear heels."

"Damn right. It certainly isn't for your charm or wit, Jeff – unfortunately I know more lawyers than I do basketball players."

Jeff smiled again. "I'll wear the tux if you wear the little black dress."

"Deal."

"Deal."

XXXXXX

(Saturday night)

Jeff took one last look in his bedroom mirror, adjusted his bow tie by a fraction and critically examined his hair one last time before pronouncing it acceptable and heading out into the main room. He wasn't in the slightest bit surprised to see Callaghan had yet to emerge from her room so he contented himself with taking out his phone and passing the time checking his updates. While he waited, he found his thoughts drifting off to his flatmate.

In truth, Mel Callaghan was an odd part of Jeff's life. She'd started off as one of his students, enrolling in Greendale to resume her education after a brutal divorce, who had taken out her anger on a teacher she thought wasn't up to the job. As Jeff had tightened up his act – in no small part to stop her from humiliating him in his own classroom – their relationship had eased and they had grown closer, until on the night of the Tranny Dance when she officially left Greendale they had not only danced together but she'd gone back to his apartment afterwards. Neither of them pretended to be in love, but they had fun, they were physically compatible and each was what the other needed at that point in their lives. Despite her tough, sarcastic exterior, Callaghan had severe confidence issues centred around her height – she was five feet eleven in bare feet, six feet three in heels – which had not been helped when her husband cheated on her with his secretary who was eight inches shorter than her, saying nastily he was fed up of not being the masculine one in their marriage. Most other men she met treated her either as a freak or a fetish object, but Jeff, who topped out at six feet four, treated her as a woman and a desirable one at that.

For his part, Jeff was – at least occasionally – honest enough to admit there was a hole in his life that needed a somewhat brittle but bright overachiever who used a ferocious dedication to hard work to mask emotional insecurities and a surprisingly caring outlook to fill it (he had barely bothered to object when Abed coined the "reboot Annie" tag barely five minutes after meeting Callaghan the first time). They had had an agreeable friends with benefits relationship for most of that summer until she moved to CU Boulder law school, at which point they stopped sleeping together without rancour and never did it again, though they remained friends. Quite simply, Callaghan was the first person unconnected to the study group that Jeff had formed a healthy relationship with and he remained grateful to her for proving that his ability to form such relationships was not a one-time only deal.

After a couple of minutes of this musing his phone vibrated as he received a text announcing their taxi had arrived, he fired off a reply and shouted out.

"Taxi's here – we need to get moving!"

"Almost ready!" Shouted her voice from the other room. Miracle of miracles, she was and two minutes later she walked out of her room.

"Well?"

Jeff pretty blatantly checked her out. She'd kept her promise and worn the little black dress. _On Britta or Annie that would be knee length. On her –_ Jeff grinned appreciatively, took in the red hair cascading past her shoulders, ruby lipstick, small black tote bag and silver sandals with painted nails and allowed his gaze to travel back up again.

"For a girl from the wrong side of the tracks, you clean up surprisingly well."

"You're a pig, Jeff." But she was smiling back at him as she walked towards him. Jeff went to the front door of his flat and held it open.

"After you." He bowed slightly.

XXXXXX

The taxi dropped them off at the country house hotel that was the venue for the summer ball. Jeff opened the door for Callaghan and helped her out then linked arms with her as they walked up to the front door, reflecting idly as he did how unusual it was not to feel a downward pressure on his arm as he did so.

"Funnily enough, I was thinking the same thing." She said when he shared this thought.

Callaghan handed over her ticket at the entrance and they were directed to the ballroom where the function was taking place. At the entrance was an official photographer, they posed and Jeff paid the small extra sum to have the picture downloaded to his phone by bluetooth. As they walked in, Jeff was already typing on his phone.

"Jeff! We've only been here five minutes!" Callaghan hissed at him.

"Just this one, I promise." He grinned at her as he hit send and put his phone away.

"It'd better be. Now get me a drink, there's a dear - there's somebody I need to talk to." Jeff saw her looking at one of the senior partners. He turned off to the bar.

XXXXXX

Facebook update -

(Picture of Jeff and Callaghan, arms around each other's waists and smiling for the camera) - "Doing arm candy duty at C, D & G Summer Ball. Open bar!"

Annie was just finishing loading the dishwasher after the dinner party she and Paul were hosting for some of their friends that evening when she heard her phone vibrate. She had a quick look at the update, rolled her eyes and then went back to the dishes. When she finished she picked up the phone again and poured herself a glass of wine. She considered resisting the temptation, then sighed, opened up another window and started typing.

 **AnnieE:** Hi Britta, are you free?

 **BrittatheTherapist:** Lemme guess - you want to know who the redhead is?

 **AnnieE:** No! Do you think I'm that shallow?

 **BrittatheTherapist:** Okay then, what do you want to ask?

 **AnnieE:** Well, now you've mentioned it… {blushing emoji}

 **BrittatheTherapist:** {smiling emoji} She's Mel Callaghan, Jeff's former student, friend and occasional bedmate.

( _I remember that name._ Annie thought. _Jeff never said anything about her being back._ Annie felt vaguely upset, even as she acknowledged she had no right to be. Then she looked again at what Britta had written.)

 **AnnieE:** What?! They're sleeping together?

 **BrittatheTherapist:** If you believe Jeff, she's just crashing in his spare room. But really, look at her and remember this is *Jeff Winger* we're talking about! The man isn't capable of that much self discipline.

 _(He managed it for six years when it came to me._ Annie thought, slightly bitterly.)

 **AnnieE:** Yes he is.

 **BrittatheTherapist:** {blushing emoji} Sorry Annie.

 **AnnieE:** It's okay - look, I've got to go now, Paul thinks I'm loading the dishwasher {winking emoji} Speak again soon. Love you, Britta.

 **BrittatheTherapist:** Love you too Annie, Bye.

XXXXXX

Jeff found himself wondering if he'd been relegated to the role of waiter when for the third time in an hour and a half he'd found himself coming back from the bar with a Michael Collins - _foul waste of good whiskey -_ for Callaghan while she charmed whichever partners were nearby. _I'm supposed to be protecting her from predatory partners, but it looks like they're the ones who need protection!_ He found himself thinking.

He didn't mind too much as he had networking of his own to do - Cuthbert, Dibble & Grub were good sponsors of the Justice Project, and he had hopes of talking them into funding another intern for Fall Semester and he'd already had a friendly chat with Darren Grub, so was feeling content for the time being.

His mood darkened however as he returned and saw Callaghan had been cornered by someone he'd devoutly hoped never to see again.

"Tango!" The other man said with a nervous grin.

"What the hell are you doing with my date, Alan? "

"This hottie's yours?" Alan laughed nervously. "Hey - first come, first served dude!" He made a show of backing off.

"For that matter, what the hell are you doing _here_? The last time I saw you you were ambulance chasing on a late night ad on public access TV."

Alan suddenly looked desperate. "My firm isn't doing very well and I've applied for a job here - this party is supposed to be an audition or something. You won't say anything to anyone, will you?"

"Alan, if I can go through the rest of my life forgetting I ever knew you I would be a happy man - let's just say it would be a very bad idea indeed to cite me as a reference. Now run away, before I ask you for your tie."

Alan went pale, turned around and scurried away. Jeff turned to face Callaghan, who had a broad smile on her face. "There's a story there, isn't there?" She said.

"You can say that." Said Jeff, grimly. "It's not one to share when we're supposed to be having a good time."

"In that case then," she said. "I've only got one question." She took the drink Jeff had fetched her and drained it in a single gulp. He raised an eyebrow curiously.

"I'm wearing a hot dress, you're wearing a tux which does not look awful on you, we've both had a few drinks and there's music playing. Why the hell are we not dancing?" Jeff grinned suddenly, took her hand in his and span her out onto the dance floor.

XXXXXX

Jeff had drunk enough scotch that his arm around Callaghan's shoulders as he staggered through his apartment's front door was more about support than intimacy. She'd drunk enough cocktails that her arm was around his waist for similar reasons.

"Ni'cap?" Jeff said somewhat blearily as they staggered to a halt next to the kitchen counter.

"Sure," she replied.

Jeff went over to one of the cabinets, took out a bottle of scotch and two glasses. He poured out a slug into each glass and turned back to face Callaghan, who had lifted herself up so she was sitting on the breakfast bar. Jeff took up position leaning against his fridge and facing her, he barely bothered to hide the fact he was looking at her legs. She barely bothered to hide the fact she knew and didn't mind. He passed her a glass then clinked his against it.

"Cheers," He said.

"Cheers," she replied. "What are we toasting?"

"Erm, that I managed to get through the evening without punching Alan in the face?"

She shook her head ponderously. "Alan should be punched, he's a slimeball."

"Not by me. Too pretty for prison." Jeff pointed to his face.

"So put 'im on the stand and let th'jury nullify. If anyone's got a face that needs punching, its'im..."

"Sounds like a plan," Jeff grinned. "Remind me next time."

"My hero." She smiled, slipped down off the breakfast bar and closed the gap between them. She braced her hands on the fridge either side of his shoulders and leant forward. Jeff stopped her from closing by holding his glass in front of him until it was pressing on her collarbone.

"Don't think I didn't notice you called me your date." She said with a soft smile.

"You're drunk, Calla- Cahalla- Mel." He said.

"So are you, Jeff. The question is, are you drunk _enough_?"

Jeff gravely pondered the wisdom of this statement for a moment, then put his glass down. His last coherent thought as she closed in for the kiss was the last time he kissed a woman like this he'd had to bend a long way forward, it felt almost odd to be standing upright instead.

XXXXXX

(Next morning)

Jeff woke up to the sensation of a marching band parading through his skull. Something warm and heavy was pressing against his right flank, and his arm was tingling with pins and needles. He opened his eyes cautiously to see a tangled mass of red hair resting on his upper arm. He cautiously lifted up his bed sheet only to see that the weight pressing on him was Callaghan's body, stretched full length alongside him and entirely naked. He dropped the sheet and shut his eyes.

"Oh no, not again." He moaned. He eased his arm out from under her, taking care not to wake her up, and got up. Wincing slightly, he put on a dressing gown and walked to his bathroom where he helped himself to a couple of aspirin and a glass of water. Then he staggered to the kitchen where he poured some orange juice and put a pot of coffee on the go. By the time he'd put some bacon in the grill and cracked some eggs into a bowl and was beating them to make an omelette Callaghan appeared, wearing one of his Greendale sweatshirts and a pair of exercise shorts. She mumbled her thanks when he slid a mug of coffee over to her and sat down at the breakfast bar.

She looked up at him through bloodshot eyes. "Nothing happened last night." It wasn't a question.

"Nope, not a thing." Jeff agreed.

"Good. What's for breakfast?"

Nothing happened that they needed to talk about two nights later either, nor the night after that. By the following weekend the spare room had mostly gone back to being a spare room, that wasn't something they felt they needed to talk about either.


	6. Chapter 6 - Summer's End

"I know that face, I spent most of a year looking at it, that's the smug look you get when you're having sex - you're sleeping with Mel." Britta said bluntly before Jeff even finished sitting down. They were having lunch in the Greendale Cafeteria as it was one of the two days a week that Britta worked as a teaching assistant to Duncan in the psychology department - Jeff still remembered with a shudder the day he'd walked into Duncan's office and caught them kissing - so it was easiest to meet for lunch on campus.

"Good afternoon to you Britta." Jeff said blandly. "And you've been saying that since Mel first moved in, why the grim face now?"

"Because before I was only trying to wind you up, now you really are doing it."

Jeff looked as though he was about to say something, then changed his mind. "You know what, Britta? I'm not going to fight you on this. We're both grown ups, we like each other, and we're unattached. What we do is nobody's business but our own."

"I just can't believe you're sleeping with Mel now you've got Annie back." Britta grumbled.

Jeff's face went grim. "Annie and Mel have nothing to do with each other, Britta. Annie and I are friends - I 'haven't got her back' as she was never mine in the first place, and what's more she's in a relationship that makes her happy and I'm happy for her. In fact," and Jeff said this as though scoring a killer point, "I'm going back to DC for a week at the end of August and I haven't even told her yet, never mind tried to coordinate dates to meet her."

"What? You're going back, and expect me to believe it's got nothing to do with Annie?"

"Yep. Ever since Mark moved there I've promised him I'd visit if I was ever in DC, but I didn't when I was at the conference because I was too busy, I also didn't get to do the sightseeing I wanted - so I contacted Mark not long after getting back, and not only did he agree to see me, but he's offered me a room in his house so all it'll cost me is the gas to get there. Nothing to do with Annie at all." He grinned triumphantly at her.

His face went grim. "I'm serious Britta - this trip is about Mark and I. It's about spending a few days with the only guy who stayed friends with me after my old life crashed and burned. It's not about Annie - I'll probably say something to her closer to the time, and if she can free up a slot for lunch or something that'd be great, but it's not why I'm going and I don't want you saying anything to her and getting her stressed out thinking I'm stalking her, or something. I'm glad Annie's back in our lives, but I'm not going to be a jerk about it and put pressure on her. This trip really is about spending quality guy time with an old friend."

"Wow, Jeff." Britta actually looked impressed. "It's been a while since I heard you give a really good, old fashioned Winger Speech. If I didn't know you so well, it would be so easy to believe you. Don't worry -" Jeff looked like he was about to interrupt, Britta overrode him "- I'll keep your secret and not say a word to Annie. But if you come back and tell me you two 'accidentally' bumped into each other and spent a weekend locked in a hotel room or something I'll remind you of this conversation."

"Not going to happen, Britta." Jeff said firmly.

XXXXXX

"Anything interesting?" Mel Callaghan was sprawled full length on Jeff's sofa, her phone in one hand and a martini in the other, her feet planted firmly in Jeff's lap. He'd just made a happy grunting sound.

Jeff showed her his tablet.

"Mark's replied confirming the dates - he can put me up for a week starting the Sunday after you go back to Boulder. If I hit the road early Saturday morning and only stop to eat and sleep I should be there by Sunday afternoon."

"That's a bit tight - I'm only going on Friday."

"It's good actually - the apartment will feel a bit quiet and empty after you've gone so a road trip will be just the distraction I need."

"Aww Jeff, you're going to miss me!" But Callaghan's smile was at least as much sarcastic as affectionate. "Hey!" He'd just tickled the sole of her foot. "Hey…" His hand had started to travel up her leg, then she jumped off the couch and ran over to the radio. "Cool it Jeff - Britta's show's about to start. Make sure you've got your scotch and your buzzword bingo card ready."

"Britta Perry - ruining my sex life since 2009." Jeff muttered, but he settled down for their weekly drinking game.

XXXXXX

" _Goooooood Evening ladies and gentlemen. Taking you through to midnight I'm Rough and Ready Eddie Donelli and tonight for her regular Thursday evening slot I'm joined by Colorado's hottest feminazi, Professor Britta Perry from Greendale Community College who will be offering advice on all your cool relationship and emotional problems."_

" _So Britta, shaved your legs recently?"_

" _More recently than you've shaved your back Eddie, and I think we all know who needs it more."_

 _(Opening bars of "Teddy Bear's Picnic" play)._

XXXXXX

Despite the late hour – ten o'clock in Colorado meant midnight in Virginia - Annie smiled fondly as she listened to the live feed from the Greendale FM website. Her curiosity had been aroused when she'd seen the link on Britta's facebook page along with the description "Co-host of the Thursday night late show", so when she found herself still reading case files at half past eleven at night she'd decided to stay up an extra hour just to listen to what she was fairly certain would be a trainwreck. Instead, as she listened she was struck by two things. Firstly, hearing her friend's voice for the first time in almost five years she realised Jeff was right – Britta had recovered her "season one" smarts (and now she was channelling Abed…) since giving up pot; and secondly she really enjoyed listening to the gossip and trivia about life in Greendale that Britta and her co-host were discussing in between music tracks and phone calls, though she was also feeling somewhat… wistful? In the end, it was well past one o'clock in the morning before she went to bed.

For the first time in five years, Annie Edison was feeling homesick.

XXXXXX

"Aaargh!" Cried Annie in disgust as she pushed a pile of papers across her desk and away from her and rubbed her forehead.

"Stress headache?" The man sitting opposite her asked. She smiled at her partner.

"I've had them since I was four, you'd think I'd be used to them by now. But it's all this -" she waved at the papers she'd pushed aside "-we know there has to be a leak, but we just can't find it! And I swear, if I read the same batch of reports again I'll –"

"Patience begets glory, Annie." He interrupted with a broad grin.

"More Sikh wisdom, Atal?"

"Well it's either that or Tylenol, your choice." She smiled, he paused for a moment before continuing. "Look, what do you say we take a break and go down to the range? Shooting something should help you de-stress."

"'Shoot something' is your solution for everything – anyone would think you had a stereotype to live up to, Mr Proud Warrior Race Guy." But she was smiling and picking up her bag and walking round the desk to join him.

"Hey – as stereotypes go, at least it's a cool one." His eyes were glinting with amusement.

"He says to the Jewish girl." Annie muttered good naturedly. In truth, Annie had often wondered if her senior officers had had less than noble motives in partnering up the office's only Jewish agent with it's only Sikh one. But she'd long since stopped caring as Atal had become the closest thing to a friend she had in the FBI – oh, she had colleagues whose respect she had earned and before she'd starting seeing Paul there had been no shortage of guys willing to ask her on dates, but friends, as in invite her home for dinner to meet his wife and bounce their ridiculously cute toddler on her lap? Not so much.

"After we've finished at the range we'll get some coffee, my treat." She said.

XXXXXX

Jeff was feeling vaguely guilty as he watched Callaghan walk over to the refrigerator in tracksuit bottoms and a t-shirt and look at its contents with a vaguely puzzled frown on her face. He didn't love her - well, maybe a little, as a friend (a friend who was hot and good in bed and…), and he was pretty sure she felt the same way about him. But he did like her, she was fun to be around, had a sharp wit that he enjoyed sparring with and hadn't really asked for much from him other than to spend a summer living rent-free and drinking his scotch and complete freedom to tease him over his self-delusion in denying he was going back to DC to see Annie. Jeff tried to think of stuff they'd done other than lounge around the apartment, drink slightly too much and have really good sex and found himself coming up embarrassingly short. _She's only going to be here another week and then she's off back to Boulder,_ he found himself thinking. _You owe her - both of you - at least one special occasion._

"Put a nice dress on Callaghan, we're going out to dinner."

The redhead looked up from examining the fridge's contents in surprise. "We've been sleeping together for almost two months professor, and _now_ you finally get round to taking me on a date?"

Jeff smiled at her. "Summer school's over, which means I'll start getting stir crazy if I don't get out of the apartment, and you're only here for another week so not too much can go wrong."

She smiled at him. "I'll get changed, I know just the outfit."

 _And it's kinda hot when you say "sleeping together" and "professor" in the same sentence…_

XXXXXX

"Hello Magda, so good to see you." Annie leaned forward and kissed Paul's mother politely on the cheek.

"Annie."

"And you too, George." Paul's father got the same treatment. "Paul's out the back manning the barbecue." They were having a family barbecue to celebrate Paul's 39th birthday and his brothers and a couple of friends from work had already arrived. Annie's relationship with his parents was at best frostily polite - she got the very strong feeling they didn't approve of him living with someone much younger than himself and, although nothing was said, she suspected the fact she was Jewish didn't help either. _But at least they don't blame me for preventing him getting back together with his ex-wife,_ she thought as his teenage son followed his grandparents into the house.

"Hello James," she said, but he ignored her. _I've tried so hard to like that boy, I really have._ She thought despairingly - as a child of divorce herself she knew exactly what he was going through, but it didn't help. _This is going to be a long day,_ she sighed. She took a moment, painted a bright smile on her face and headed towards the back yard.

XXXXXX

Jeff was helping Callaghan load her car. As the last bag was forced into pretty much the last free space in her beat up old hatchback she hesitated slightly as though gathering her courage over what to say next.

"Look Jeff, we've had fun this summer, haven't we?"

Jeff's eyes widened in surprise. "What? Of course –"

"Good." She was getting into her stride. "I don't pretend to love you, and I don't expect you to pretend to love me, and so long as we both understand that then what we've been doing is cool."

She hesitated again. "But what we've being doing isn't cool when you love somebody else."

Jeff exhaled as though punched. "Mel –"

"Let me finish, Jeff." She said. "You're going on your trip to DC tomorrow – when you see your girl, tell her how you feel, okay? You've been given a second chance. You won't get a third."

Jeff shook his head, but he didn't even pretend not to know what she was talking about. "It's too late, Callaghan. Annie's with someone else now, and she's happy. We can only be friends now, and that's fine. We work as friends, we've never worked as anything else."

She shook her head sadly. "Think about it Jeff, okay? You've done a surprisingly good job over the last few years of turning yourself into a functional human being, you deserve a shot at being happy. Just talk to her."

He smiled sadly. "Thanks for coming Callaghan, it's been a good summer."

"You're an idiot. You know that, don't you?" She leaned forward, gave him a firm hug and kissed him on the cheek. "See you at Thanksgiving, okay?" She got in her car and started the engine.

"Goodbye, Melanie." Jeff said quietly as he watched the car drive off.


	7. Chapter 7 - Flowers In Her Hair

"The girl with flowers in her hair" is an idea I had as the title of a story literally weeks ago, but I've been unable to write a standalone to go with it - any other writers out there who have an idea are warmly welcomed to give it a go. It did however fit this chapter, so I went for it here. It's a line from "Going to California" by Led Zeppelin.

XXXXXX

In the end, Jeff didn't tell Annie he was on his way until on the morning of his departure he'd posted a picture of the Jaguar on Facebook with the caption "Road trip - putting the Jag through it's paces to visit Mark Petrocelli in Maryland #tangoandcash!" And followed it up with a private message essentially saying he'd be in the area for a week and if she had any free time it'd be cool to do lunch or something. Then he'd thrown his suitcase in the trunk, put down the sunroof, put on his sunglasses, connected his phone to the car's sound system, set the playlist to random and put the car in gear and pointed it towards the I-70.

XXXXXX

Annie saw the message while she was checking her updates over breakfast - she was surprised to see Jeff had posted it about 5AM Colorado time - and found herself puzzling over what it meant.

 _Is he coming all this way just to see me? Then why didn't he give me more notice? So I couldn't tell him not to come while allowing him to pretend it's no big deal if I don't drop everything and run to him, of course. This is Jeff Winger after all._ She checked a few more updates then found her concentration drifting back to Jeff's message.

 _But what if it really is no big deal? Things change after five years. Yes, he kissed me - but that was at the end of a long evening and he's never said anything weird since or got even remotely jealous or angry about Paul -_ she looked across the table at her boyfriend, who looked up and smiled when he felt her watching him, then went back to reading his paper - _and if Britta is to be believed he's spent pretty much the whole summer in bed with that redhead. Well, if it's no big deal for him then it's no big deal for me._

Annie decided to play it just as cool as he had. The case she was working on at the moment required her to spend several days a fortnight in DC and it so happened the coming week was one of the ones she was due to go so she didn't have to make any decisions yet.

 _Due in DC Wed-Fri. I'll let you know if I can arrange any free time. Love, Annie._ She hesitated for a moment, replaced the second-last word with "Best wishes" and hit the Send button.

"Anything interesting, babe?" Paul said.

"Britta's posting cat videos again."

"So no, then?" He smiled at her.

Annie suddenly found herself thinking it was exactly the same smile he'd used a thousand times before to a hundred different people and a treacherous part of her memory leapt back through the years to another smile she used to see across a table. _Paul doesn't have a smile that's just for me,_ she found herself thinking. _Not like -_ but she shut that line of thought down before it turned dangerous.

"No, nothing."

XXXXXX

Ever since his Lexus had finally died and he'd replaced it with the Jaguar - courtesy of a grateful client who owned a dealership and let Jeff have every conceivable discount and financing deal - he'd loved his car. No seriously, he _loved_ it.

("You look at that car the way Craig looks at a Dalmatian." Britta had said when he first drove it to Greendale.

"Bite me, Britta." But he couldn't stop smiling.

"Seriously Jeff, it's not healthy - and think of what it'll do to the environment!"

Jeff put on a pair of sunglasses and leaned back against the car door with a cocky grin on his face. "Admit it, Britta - we look good together."

"That's… not relevant.")

But even true love needs a break and after fourteen hours of driving, with one meal break and three toilet breaks and only eight hours of music stored on his phone, Jeff climbed out of the Jag in the car park of a motel just outside of Dayton and locked the door with a sigh of relief. He booked a room, deposited his suitcase and walked over to the diner next door for dinner. While he waited for his food to arrive, he looked at the messages waiting for him on his phone. He made a point of leaving Annie's until last, so he looked at the rest first - Britta snarkily hoping he'd find what he was looking for; Mel somewhat more gently saying something similar; Mark looking forward to him arriving; Craig plaintively saying he'd always wanted to do a road trip in a Jag and Jeff should have asked; and Abed forwarding a music video he thought Jeff would be interested in and which he saved for later. Then he finally gave in to temptation and read Annie's private message:

 _Due in DC Wed-Fri. I'll let you know if I can arrange any free time. Best wishes, Annie._

Jeff read it three times over and frowned slightly. _Well, that's… almost as casual and stand-offish as the message I sent her._ He also noticed she seemed to be reserving the right to contact him and not inviting him to contact her. _I hope she's okay with this._

The following morning, Jeff got up at 8AM and was on the road by nine. Overnight, he'd downloaded another couple of hours worth of music for the next leg of his journey, but on a whim for the first track he played Abed's recommendation. By the time the song wound down to it's final verses, Jeff felt that Abed was sending much the same message Mel and Britta had, but just being more Abed-ish about it -

 _I was a-ready to die for you, baby_

 _Doesn't mean I'm ready to stay._

 _What good is livin' a life you've been given_

 _If all you do is stand in one place?_

 _I'm on a river that winds on forever_

 _Follow 'til I get where I'm goin'._

 _Maybe I'm headin' to die but I'm still gonna try_

 _I guess I'm goin' alone._

XXXXXX

Jeff wondered for a moment if his GPS had brought him to the right house as he swept up the drive to something that was more like a small mansion than a large house. His doubts were dispelled however when he pulled up to the front door and it opened and Mark stepped out, looking tanned, healthy and every inch as though he belonged.

"Tango!"

"Cash!"

The two men embraced like old friends who had not seen each other for several years – as indeed they were.

"Nice wheels, Jeff." Mark grinned. "The law lecturer business is doing well I see."

"I'm also running a small non-profit and doing some private consulting work," Jeff said, smiling back. Enough to pay for – why _hello…"_

A statuesque blonde in her early twenties and wearing a wrap that barely reached past her hips had just sashayed out of the front door and linked arms with Mark. She smiled at Jeff.

"Jeff, this is my girlfriend Nataliya, she's a model."

 _Of course she is,_ Jeff thought to himself.

"Natasha dear, this is my friend Jeff that I told you about."

"Dobre' dyenn, Jeff." She said with another smile as she held out her hand, Jeff shook it, resisting the urge to kiss it.

"She's Russian," Mark said by way of explanation. "She doesn't speak much English, but we manage to communicate." This time, he really did look like the cat who had got the cream.

 _I bet you do,_ Jeff thought.

Mark tapped Jeff good naturedly on the back.

"Come on, let me show you your room and then give you the tour."

The guest room was larger and better equipped than any hotel room Jeff had ever been in, complete with en suite bathroom and balcony overlooking the swimming pool where Nataliya had retreated to work on her suntan. Jeff made a point of not staring at his friend's girlfriend – not easy, as she was only wearing the bottom half of her bikini – and then went back inside the house where Mark showed him the kitchen/breakfast room that was larger than Jeff's apartment, the lounge, dining room, private cinema, private gym and pool room with a fully equipped bar all the while keeping up an easy conversation as they caught up with each other's lives.

 _Is this what my life could have been like if Alan hadn't ratted me out to the State bar?_ Jeff thought. _I was only a couple of years behind Mark on the career path and he would have taken me with him if I'd asked him to._

Then he thought about all the things he wouldn't have had in his life if that hadn't happened – Annie and Britta, Abed and Shirley and Troy, Mel and even Craig; crazy people and crazy adventures and being a teacher students looked up to and a lawyer with a choice of clients that didn't require medication by Scotch to justify defending. _There's more to life than sleeping with Russian supermodels._

 _Damn, but I am getting old..._

XXXXXX

Facebook updates -

Sunday -

(A picture of Mark and Nataliya smiling in his kitchen) - "Arrived! With Mark and his girlfriend Nataliya in their house in Chevy Chase."

Monday -

(A picture of the view from Jeff's terrace, Jeff's feet are visible on the balcony rail) - "Chillaxing at Mark's place."

(A picture of a pile of shopping bags with names like Old Navy, J. Crew, Saks.) - "Sweating my bank card in Friendship Heights."

(A picture of Jeff and Mark holding cigars in one hand and glasses in the other and grinning into the camera.) - "With Mark in Civil Cigar Lounge, get well soon Nat."

Tuesday -

(A picture of Mount Vernon, another of Jeff standing in front of a portrait of George Washington.) - "Two great men who had to change career in mid-life."

(A picture of Jeff, Mark, another man, and four stunning young women, Jeff is standing between two of them with a huge grin on his face.) - "Helping Mark entertain one of his clients - Nataliya brought along some friends for the evening, does anyone speak Russian?"

XXXXXX

Annie closed her phone. _Well, it looks like he's enjoying himself at least._ She turned the bedside light off and turned over to go to sleep, she had an early start in the morning for the drive to DC. Paul was still going over legal documents in his home office and would try not to disturb her when he came up.

XXXXXX

(Wednesday morning)

As always, Jeff was up first and spent an hour in Mark's private gym, for the last half of it he was joined by Nataliya, who set a blistering pace on the running machine while Jeff worked the weights. When he finished he did a couple of minutes of cool down exercises before heading up to the kitchen, Nataliya stopped at the same time and followed him up. Jeff went over to the refrigerator, took out two bottles of chilled water and passed her one.

"Spassiba," she said with a smile.

"You know I'm a professor, right?"

"Da?" she replied with a puzzled look on her face.

"One of the skills you learn as a teacher is how to separate the genuinely dumb kids from the smart ones who are trying to look dumb to avoid standing out. You're not a dumb blonde, and your English is a lot better than you're letting on. What I don't understand is why you're doing it."

She didn't move at all, and yet somehow her face changed completely. _She looks like Annie when she's angry about something._ Jeff suddenly thought. _Anything but dumb._

"How long have you known?" She said with barely the faintest trace of an accent.

"Since Monday night, when Mark and I went to the bar and you stayed behind with a headache. The TV was on the Discovery channel when we went out and C-Span when we came back. I doubt dumb models are a major part of their audience demographic. So, why do it?"

"Can you keep a secret, Jeff?"

"Yes I can."

She smiled at him. " _Will_ you keep a secret? For me?"

 _She's doing the doe eyes thing. Unfortunately for her I learned to resist that from a master practitioner._

"Your English _is_ good. Yes, so long as it doesn't hurt Mark."

"Fair enough. The truth? Mark is a good man, he's kind to me and doesn't get angry or violent. He's also rich and enjoys buying me things and lets me live in his nice house and come and go as I want. In return, I sleep with him at home, look good on his arm when we go out and indulge his fantasy that his –" she muttered something in Russian "- sexual magnetism?" Jeff nodded, she smiled and continued. "His sexual magnetism is such that it's obvious even to a girl half his age who barely speaks English."

"And is it?"

"I can keep secrets too, Jeff."

They smiled knowingly at each other.

"I'll keep yours, on one condition," he said. She raised a questioning eyebrow. "That when you get bored and decide to move on you make the break up as gentle as possible and wait a bit before hooking up with someone younger and hotter. He's my friend after all, leave him with as much of his pride as you can."

She didn't bother to deny Jeff's prediction. "It's a deal, Jeff. I really do like him, you know."

"Deal then. Do you want anything for breakfast?"

"I'll have what you have. You eat like a model."

XXXXXX

Facebook updates -

(A picture of the Capitol.) - "Visiting the sausage factory. #Bismarck." (Comment: **AnnieE** \- It wasn't Bismarck. F- professor. _So you are following my posts after all,_ Jeff smiled to himself as he read the comment.)

(A picture of the entrance to a bar. Jeff is in a suit and tie, Nataliya by his side in a short, sleeveless dress the same shade of gold as her hair and her arm linked through Jeff's.) - "Mark working late in DC, asked me to keep Nat out of trouble for the evening. #luckiestguyalive."

Annie was working late in the J Edgar Hoover Building trying to extract something useful out of a mass of surveillance reports when her phone vibrated as that one came in. She rolled her eyes. _Seriously, Jeff? Stereotypical mid life crisis, much?_ But she smiled as she put the phone down and went back to the reports.

XXXXXX

(Thursday)

Facebook updates -

(Jeff in the courtroom of the Supreme Court) - "Next time, I'll be here in my professional capacity:-)" (Comment: **BrittatheTherapist:** representing a pig being sued by the FAA for not having a pilot's licence?)

(Jeff in front of the Lunar lander at the National Air and Space Museum) - "This one's for JTW, aged 5." (Comment: **AnnieE:** Aaaaaaww!; **Shirley Bennett:** What she said:-))

(Jeff shaking hands with the senior Senator from Colorado) - "I voted for this guy! At a lobbying bash as a guest of Mark's."

XXXXXX

It was almost 9PM when Captain Austin (USN) wound up the multi-agency coordination committee. Annie sighed with relief as Meg called for any other business and nobody answered and then wished everyone a good evening and reminded them the next meeting would be in two weeks' time. Annie was just getting up and starting to leave when Captain Austin called her name.

"Annie?"

"Yes, Meg?"

"Good work on the data analysis." The older woman had a tired smile on her face. Annie looked puzzled.

"But I didn't find anything!"

"You did more than that - you proved there was nothing to be found. That means we can shut down a whole line of enquiry and concentrate resources on a more productive line. That's good work. Thank you and get some rest, Special Agent."

Annie almost stood to attention, though with a genuine smile on her face. "Thank you, Captain. I will."

XXXXX

As she left the building and headed to the Metro station for the ride back to her hotel, Annie switched her phone back on and proceeded to check her updates. After she saw Jeff's latest update she rolled her eyes. _He's spent the whole week partying with Russian models and now schmoozing politicians. Maybe he really didn't come here to see me after all._ She sighed slightly. _I really have no reason to be disappointed, but -_

The part of Annie that was an FBI Agent, trained to recognise patterns in seemingly random data, was shouting to be heard. She looked at her phone again, flicked back through Jeff's most recent updates, and smiled suddenly.

 _Monday and Tuesday he spent outside DC, but after I arrived on Wednesday he's spent his days at the Capitol, the Supreme Court and the Smithsonian - all within half an hour's walk of the Hoover Building. He's organised his time so he can drop everything and come to me if I call him._ She found herself smiling suddenly as her phone lost connection as she entered the Metro.

XXXXXX

(Friday)

Facebook update -

(Picture of Jeff outside the White House) - "Scouting out future living quarters. #presidentjeff." (Comment: **BrittatheTherapist -** I'm moving to Canada.)

XXXXXX

It was approaching lunchtime, and Annie had finished checking her tablet was fully loaded with material to read over the weekend and essential hard copies were packed for despatch to Norfolk and had said goodbye to her DC colleagues when she saw Jeff's latest update, time stamped a couple of hours previously. She started typing immediately, refusing to allow herself to second guess what she was doing and hit send without reviewing. Then she let out the breath she'd been holding in and shivered slightly before heading out.

XXXXXX

After finishing at the White House - he hadn't gone on a tour because he didn't realise he had to pre-book - Jeff had wandered down to the Washington Monument and persuaded a park ranger to take a picture of him in front of it. He was about to post it to Facebook when his phone vibrated with an incoming message -

 _I've finished work for the week and I'll be having lunch in the Pavilion Café on the Mall in half an hour before heading home. It'd be nice to meet up if you can make it. Best wishes, Annie._

He checked the time, checked his pocket map of the Mall and headed back along Madison Drive, firing back a brief "on my way" as he did. As he passed the Natural History Museum he forced himself to slow down, take a few deep breaths and stroll casually into the Sculpture Garden and towards the Café. _Calm down Jeff,_ he said to himself as his heart continued to race. _You're not some fifteen year old going on his first date - you're just meeting an old friend for lunch. Nothing more than that._

 _(Yeah, right.)_

Then he entered the café and looked around for a moment and there she was, sitting at a table reading a menu. She was wearing a sleeveless white dress with a yellow flower pattern on it and sunglasses perched high on her forehead. As Jeff walked towards her with his heart in his mouth, a petrified expression on his face and his legs trembling so badly he was terrified he'd collapse on the spot, she looked up. As she saw him approach, he saw her stand up out of her chair with the fluid grace and elegance of the mermaid he'd once compared her to and a cool, sophisticated smile spread across her face as she watched him approach.

XXXXXX

Annie had arrived ten minutes before Jeff. She'd asked the waitress for a table for two, a glass of iced water and a menu. As she sat down, she took her phone out again and, with slightly trembling hands, read Jeff's reply once again and once again failed to extract any clue from those three words as to how far away he was or how long he would take to get there. She felt her foot twitch nervously under the table, and furiously compelled it to stop. _Stop that, Annie! You're not a teenager in awe of the coolest guy in school anymore - Jeff is just a friend now and you are going to have a pleasant lunch, as friends do. Nothing freaky is going to happen, you're going to behave like mature adults who are comfortable with each other, nothing more._

 _(Yeah, right.)_

She picked up the menu and forced herself to try and read it, but she was spending so much energy stopping her hands from trembling that she couldn't make out a word. Giving up, she put the menu down and looked around. And there he was, in a glowing white shirt with sleeves rolled up past his elbows, cream coloured slacks and a distressed leather manbag bouncing off his hip walking towards her with the patented Winger swagger and cocky grin as though he knew damn well he was the best looking man in the room ( _he is_ , teenage Annie said in the back of her head). Annie saw a group of office girls sitting by the entrance go quiet and then giggle behind their hands as he walked past them and their eyes started to track him, and then she shot out of her seat as though electrocuted and a rictus grin spread across her face as his own smile changed from cocky into the much softer smile he'd always reserved for her.

"Hi Jeff, so you made it."

"As if I'd miss it, hi Annie." He smiled again and leaned forward. They hugged, and briefly kissed each other on the cheek. Annie couldn't quite contain a satisfied smile as she saw the faces of the office girls fall slightly as they stopped watching and went back to their conversation. They took their seats opposite each other across the table.

"So," said Jeff, gesturing at Annie's outfit. "Dress-down Friday in the Hoover Building?"

Annie rolled her eyes and smiled at him. "It's August in DC Jeff, and the humidity's insane. There's no way I'm wearing a suit in this weather."

And just as easily as that they were themselves again, swapping friendly banter and meeting each other's eyes with soft smiles in the comfortable silences and barely noticing as the rest of the world slipped out of focus. Food came and went, as did coffee. A bill arrived and was settled. Long afterwards, when asked to recall that lunch Jeff would not be able to say much of what they had talked about. Instead, he would recall the way her lightly tanned skin shone golden in the afternoon light, the way her hair would dance when she moved her head, the way a breeze would bring him a sudden scent of her perfume. (And, because he is a man and man is evil, the way her cleavage bounced when she laughed at a joke. Jeff made sure to tell a lot of jokes.)

And finally, as they were leaving the café -

"So Jeff, what were you planning to do for the rest of the afternoon?"

"Well, if you hadn't texted me I would have walked down to the Lincoln Memorial to take a few more pictures, I've still got plenty of time to do that."

"Then let's do that." Annie smiled up at him, and threaded her arm through his.

"Are you sure, Annie? Don't you have to be somewhere?" Jeff looked like he hated himself for saying that. Annie thought that if she wasn't on her way out of DC in oh, the next half hour at most, she'd get stuck in rush hour traffic and it would add at least an hour to her drive back to Norfolk.

"No," she said. "I'm free for the rest of the day and Paul isn't expecting me back at any particular time. Let's walk."

So, they walked. Down the Mall, back towards the Washington Monument, where Annie bought ice cream for them both. Jeff chuckled as Annie got some on the end of her nose, then he wiped it off with the edge of his thumb. She rolled her eyes, but smiled and let him. Annie laughed as he jumped backwards and squealed like a girl as a dollop of melting ice cream fell off his cone and threatened to land on his shirt. ("It's a Paul Smith shirt, Annie." He said, as though that explained everything.)

As they were about to start the long walk down the length of the reflecting pool, they heard a cheery voice call out -

"Flowers for your lady friend, sir?" Jeff went still for a moment as a thought that had been nagging at him since he first sat down for lunch came to the surface. _She looks absolutely exhausted._ He thought. _What's the FBI making her do? My Annie always took on more than her fair share of burdens, but she knew how to smile brightly enough to light up a room too. I want that Annie back._

"Close your eyes, Annie."

"What? Don't be ridiculous, Jeff!"

"Please, Annie just for a couple of minutes?"

She sighed. "This had better not be a trick, Jeff." She shut her eyes and, feeling slightly foolish, forced herself to relax and listen to the sounds around her. After what seemed like an age but was probably only a minute or so she heard Jeff come back.

"Keep still, and keep you eyes closed," he said. Rather to her surprise, she felt his hands start to play with her hair, he seemed to be arranging it somehow.

"Jeff - what is going on?"

"Since before I've known you," he said. "You've taken on the burdens on the world. First there was high school, drugs and rehab then carrying a bunch of idle, crazy misfits through the worst college in the state, and then protecting the whole country as a badass FBI agent - I don't know what they're doing to you, but you looked exhausted when I first saw you. You've always worked harder, planned more thoroughly, cared more, than anybody I've ever known."

He stepped away from her. "Open your eyes, and smile."

She opened her eyes, she hadn't intended to smile but one look at the hopeful expression on Jeff's face and she felt her mouth curl upwards at the corners - _it's difficult not to smile at him when he looks at me like that,_ she thought. He lifted his camera up, snapped a picture and smiled back. "Just for a few hours, I want you to put all that aside and be the girl with flowers in her hair, dancing barefoot in the grass."

"I'm not taking my shoes off Jeff, people exercise their dogs here - oh…" He'd turned the camera around so the display screen was visible. It was a simple shot, head and shoulders only, with a small bunch of white carnations tucked in her hair over her right ear and with a soft, natural smile on her face. _I look… happy._ She thought to herself. _Damn you Winger, I really didn't want you to do this to me again. I really did just want us to be friends._

"What are we doing, Jeff?" She said instead. "This -" pointing at the camera display "- isn't what platonic best friends do."

Jeff had a brief expression of panic on his face, as though afraid he'd taken things too far again - the last time he'd seen an expression like the one on Annie's face was the last time they met, just after she pulled away from the kiss and just before she ran away. _Please, not again -_

"Does it have to be anything, Annie?" He said with a note of desperation in his voice. "Can't it just be two people who care about each other enjoying some time in each other's company before they go their separate ways again? Does it need any more labelling than that?"

"This is me, Jeff - you know I have to have everything labelled and organised!"

"Annie Edison has to, but what about the girl with flowers in her hair?" Jeff, in his desperation, had played his last card - an appeal to the Annie he used to know, the girl who collected stuffed toys and had posters of teen heartthrobs on her bedroom wall, the girl who dreamed about being loved, who fantasised about being married. The girl who, despite being the smartest person he knew, still somehow thought Jeff Winger was a man worth getting close to. _Now I'll see how much of her is left,_ he thought to himself.

And because he looked so nervous and hopeful, and because he was still Jeff Winger and she was still Annie Edison, she allowed herself to melt, a little. _It's not like you're likely to see him again any time soon. You can afford to live inside a dream for an hour or two._ "I think… that that girl would like to live in the moment for a while." She smiled up at him. _This is a really bad idea._ She knew she should regret it, she really did, but when she looked at the relieved smile on his face she just couldn't bring herself to.

This time, when they turned and resumed their walk to the Lincoln Memorial, instead of looping her arm through his she took hold of his hand - Jeff's eyes went wide when this happened, but then he looked down at her and smiled the soft smile only Annie ever saw before returning the grip.

"So Jeff," she said. "When did Mr Too-Cool-To-Care become a manic pixie dream girl?"

"I listened to 'Going to California' about a dozen times on the drive over here. It's possible it may have affected my judgement."

XXXXXX

And so they walked down to the Lincoln Memorial together. Jeff took a few more pictures of Annie, she took a couple of him, and an elderly couple from Nebraska who thought they looked adorable together took a picture of the two of them with the reflecting pool on their left and the Washington Monument in the background - neither Jeff nor Annie corrected their happy assumption and Jeff took a picture of the Nebraskans in return.

When they reached the memorial they rested for a moment sitting side by side on the steps, shoulders brushing each other and looking back the length of the Mall. Jeff resisted the temptation to put his arm around her, instead pulling a bottle of water out of his manbag and handing it to her. She drank a little less than half of it, smiled her thanks and passed it back. Jeff drank the rest of it, finding himself suddenly intensely aware of the faint taste of lipstick on the neck of the bottle. _Don't even think it!_ He said wryly to himself.

After they finished at the Memorial - they took a few more photos, Annie crouching down and chuckling at Jeff's vanity as he insisted on one with him in the foreground and Lincoln in the background, making it look like they were side to side, with Jeff the taller - they turned away and headed slowly back to the city in search of a Metro station.

"Jeff?"

"Yes, Annie?"

Can you do me a favour?"

He smiled warmly. "For you? Anything."

She hesitated for a moment. "Please don't post any pictures with me in them on Facebook or - well, anywhere."

"Sure, but why?"

She sighed. "It's complicated, Jeff -"

He actually stopped dead in surprise and gaped at her with a smile forming on his face. "Do we need to find a men's room?"

She looked baffled for a moment, then a blush and a smile crossed her face as she remembered. "Okay - so maybe relationships are more complicated than I thought they were when I was twenty." She acknowledged ruefully. "But - please, Jeff?" _She can still do the eye thing!_ Jeff thought to himself, smiling inwardly as he watched her look at him in the way he remembered so well. Any desire he may have had to turn her down melted away.

"Paul?" He asked, softly.

She nodded. "Don't get me wrong - he doesn't jealously stalk my newsfeed or anything like that. It's just an argument we don't need to have." _Paul hasn't been happy we're still friends since I told him about the Tranny Dance. I really don't need to set him off again._

"Of course, Annie."

Her eyes returned to normal size, as though their work was done. "Thanks Jeff," she smiled again, still remembering that argument long ago and the way it ended. "So, what happened with Rich?" She said teasingly.

"Oh, he's married now. He got a big job with Doctors Without Borders and moved to New York."

"Married?" Annie sounded slightly disappointed.

"Yes, his husband's a very nice man."

"That's _\- what?_ " She turned to face him, Jeff had a big smirk on his face.

"Yep - he came out when he applied for the DWB job. It turns out the reason why he turned you down back then wasn't because you were too young, but because you had - have - boobs." He said, pointing at the articles in question with another smile on his face.

Annie suddenly had a smile of her own on her face. "Didn't you once spend all night at his apartment getting him to show you how he was so 'awesome'?" She made airquote gestures.

"Not you too," Jeff shuddered good-naturedly. "Britta wouldn't stop laughing for a week when she remembered that - it got so bad I wished Pierce was there."

XXXXXX

Well -" Jeff said.

Well -" Annie said. They had arrived at the Metro station, and were hesitating as though they could delay returning to the real world. All of a sudden, Annie dived into her bag and pulled something out.

"Pass me your camera, Jeff." He did, with a somewhat baffled expression on his face. "Hold this," he found himself holding a safety pin. Annie reached up and carefully took one of the carnations out of her hair, reclaimed the safety pin and fastened the flower to the front of Jeff's shirt. Then she stood back a couple of paces and took a picture.

"There - " she said, handing the camera back with a sad smile on her face. "Something to remember the girl with flowers in her hair by."

 _I don't need a picture for that._ "Thanks, Annie." He said, with a sad smile of his own on his face.

She closed in for a tight hug - somewhat awkwardly, to avoid crushing the flower on his chest - then pulled away again out of arm's reach before either of them could do something foolish. "I've really got to go now - it was good to catch up again, 'bye Jeff."

"Goodbye, Annie." But she was already turning and, with a brief wave, disappeared into the crowd.

XXXXXX

There won't be an update next weekend because of Christmas, but there'll be another one at the same time next week. Have a great holiday everyone:-)

And -

Natasha - standard Russian diminutive of Nataliya. She doesn't have two first names.

Dobre'dyenn - Hello, good day.

Spassiba - thank you.


	8. Chapter 8 - Going Home

**_Author's note:_** _this follows on immediately from the end of the previous chapter._

 _First voice: that was actually good. I managed to spend an entire afternoon with Jeff without being stupid and giving in to temptation. Maybe I can do this friend thing after all?_

 _Second voice: you're being delusional. Just because you didn't drag him back to a hotel room for the afternoon doesn't make THAT platonic!_

 _First voice: We talked, we laughed, we saw a couple of sights and we had lunch. What isn't platonic about that? Okay, maybe the holding hands thing was a bit… informal but it didn't lead anywhere._

 _Second voice (sarcastic): is this the girl with flowers in her hair talking?_

 _First voice (defensive): he was right though - I've been working really hard recently and I'm exhausted and needed to relax and just be carefree for an afternoon. He just picked a cute and silly way of saying it, it doesn't need to mean any more than that._

 _Second voice (angry): but it does though, doesn't it?_

 _First voice (uncertain): no. It was just sweet, he's always had sweet moments around me and they've never gone anywhere before. What's so different about now?_

 _Second voice: he doesn't look at you like a kid anymore. He looks at you the way you've always wanted him to._

 _First voice: the way I USED to want him to. And that's not true anyway - he looks at me like I'm somebody he hasn't seen for a long time who he's happy to see again, that's all._

 _Second voice: do you really believe that? Really?_

 _First voice:...yes? (Rallies) After all, if he was pining for me, would he have spent most of the summer sleeping with someone else after that kiss?_

 _Second voice: at least you admit the kiss happened! Now admit it was an amazing kiss, the sort of thing that people who are much more than just friends do._

 _First voice: no. Okay - it was a good kiss, but Jeff's always been good at that. But it was a kiss fuelled by alcohol and memories. It belonged to the past, not the future. And stop changing the subject - why would he be sleeping with someone else if he was pining for me?_

 _Second voice (sarcastic): oh right - because there's no way the fact he's spent the entire summer sleeping with an overachieving workaholic with relationship issues who used to fight him all the time and now hero-worships him could have anything to do with you!_

 _First voice (outraged): she's about seven feet tall! And she doesn't hero worship him anyway! There's no way he looks at her and thinks of me! No - he's moved on and only sees me as a friend now, just like I've moved on and only see him as one._

 _Second voice: I'll agree you both look at each other the same way, at least._

 _First voice: don't think I didn't notice what you did there._

 _Second voice: hooray! She's not completely blind at least._

 _First voice: it doesn't matter what you think anyway. He lives almost two thousand miles away - there's no way we can be anything other than friends, so that's what we're going to be. And I have someone here who loves me and makes me happy, that's the relationship I'm going to work on._

 _Second voice: you said he loves you and makes you happy._

 _First voice: yes, so?_

 _Second voice: you didn't say you love him._

 _First voice:..._

 _Second voice: we both know who you're really in love with, don't we?_

 _First voice: no! That's not fair! Jeff and I have a special connection, but it's as friends - I love Paul and that's the relationship I need to work on. That's the relationship I'm going to work on!_

 _Second voice: that's something else we agree on. It's a relationship you need to work on._

 _First voice: it's two I need to work on. I'm going to work on being a friend to Jeff, and a girlfriend to Paul. And I'll do it - I've always been good at hard work._

 _Second voice: if relationships are hard work, you're doing it wrong. Pick one and throw everything you have at it, just make sure it's the right one._

 _First voice: no. I can do this, and I will._

Annie Edison had seen a lot of movies and cartoons that depicted a character's internal thought processes as an angel sitting on one shoulder and a devil sitting on the other, arguing. She had thought that if it ever happened to her she would find it easier to tell which was the angel and which was the devil, though.

 _I'm making the right decision._ She thought to herself as she emerged from the Metro and headed towards where she'd parked her car. _I can be friends with Jeff and I can be with Paul. I can do what's best for me._

Thus resolved, she took out her phone and typed a text message to Jeff. She did not hesitate over the wording.

XXXXXX

Jeff made his own way home, thinking melancholy thoughts about just what Annie's goodbye meant - goodbye for now, or goodbye forever? He looked at the flower pinned to his chest. _Is this a promise that we'll see each other again, or something to hold on to when she disappears again?_ He flicked through the pictures he'd taken on his camera, but always he come back to the one he'd taken just after putting the carnations in her hair, wondering if that was when he ruined everything.

His phone vibrated as he walked up the drive to Mark's house. He picked it out, and swiped sideways to call up the message he'd received.

 _Today was a good day, I hope we can do it again soon. Love, Annie._

He smiled for the first time since saying goodbye to her, and his back straightened as though a huge weight had been lifted from his shoulders. _Maybe it'll be okay after all,_ he thought. _Annie's back in my life, and even if we'll only ever be friends that's still worth having._ Still smiling, he fired off a quick response -

 _Bank on it. It was a good day for me too. Love, Jeff._

Then he opened the front door to Mark's house and stepped inside.

"Hey, Jeff! You're back!" Mark walked out of the kitchen dressed casually in shorts and a t-shirt, accompanied by Nataliya in a white bikini. He grinned and thrust a beer at Jeff.

"What's going on, Mark?"

Mark was still grinning. "Natasha thought we should throw you a going away party as it was your last night, so we called up a few friends, and here we are!"

"Da Jeff," Nataliya said in her heavy accent. "Can't go without real goodbye." She smiled at him, Mark had taken hold of Jeff's elbow and was steering him through the kitchen to the back garden where he saw about thirty people - maybe half of whom he recognised from socialising with Mark throughout the week - milling around the pool drinking beer and eating barbecue being cooked by a uniformed servant. There was a sudden scream followed by a splash as one of Nataliya's model friends - Iveta, Jeff thought it was - jumped into the pool.

Hey, everyone - it's Jeff!" Mark called out. "Hey Jeff!" about half of them replied.

Jeff, whose mood had already been greatly improved by Annie's text, grinned as he saw the party and took a swig of the beer Mark had given him.

XXXXXX

A journey that should have taken just over four hours at that time of the day had actually taken six once the chaos caused by an overturned truck outside Richmond had been resolved, with the result that Annie didn't get back to Paul's house until well after midnight. She told herself she didn't want to disturb him by coming to bed that late, so she got a pillow and blanket out of the linen cupboard and prepared to make a bed on the couch. As she prepared to brush her teeth in the bathroom, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and hesitated for a long moment as she saw two slightly wilted carnations still tucked into her hair over her right ear - she had quite forgot about them in the long journey home. With a sad smile on her face she carefully untangled them from her hair and stood them in a glass of water while she brushed out her hair and brushed her teeth. When she settled down to sleep, she put the glass with the flowers in it on the coffee table next to her head. It was the last thing she saw as, thinking uncertain thoughts, she closed her eyes and went to sleep.

XXXXXX

Jeff was also going to bed well after midnight. Despite the need for an early start, he had allowed Mark to convince him to stay up - he was the guest of honour, after all. He had at least gone to bed alone, despite some pretty unsubtle hints from Iveta that she would have been more than happy to keep him company - she had pouted when he smilingly turned her down. Oh, he had been thoroughly interested - she was very, very, tempting in her blue bikini and it did his ego no end of good to see he still had it - but he explained about his long journey in the morning, and how he couldn't risk tiring himself out before even starting. When he had told her where he was going, she cheered up again and demanded his phone number, saying there was a possibility she could be skiing in Aspen that winter. _I may not be the youngest guy here, but I am the one in the best shape._ Jeff had thought to himself complacently in response to the model's interest, and if there was a part of him that had turned her down because it would have been the wrong way to end a perfect day with Annie, he kept that carefully locked away.

XXXXXX

Annie woke to the feeling of her shoulder being gently shaken. She opened her eyes and saw a cup of coffee being held out to her. She sat up, smiled as she met Paul's gaze, and took the coffee.

"Sleeping Beauty awakes," he said with a smile of his own. "What are you doing down here?"

"Thanks, hon." She said, taking a sip from the coffee. "I didn't get back until late and didn't want to disturb you."

"Annie, how many times do I have to tell you?" He was grinning now. "You climbing into my bed is _not_ a disturbance." He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead, she smiled at him as he pulled away. "It's good to have you back, babe. Breakfast is almost done - come through when you're ready."

 _Paul's a good man, he's here and he's real. You could be happy with him, you know._ She thought to herself as she watched him retreat, humming a tune she recognised. Her eyes fell on the coffee table, and saw the water glass with two carnations in it. The words to the tune Paul was humming came to her.

 _Are you going to Scarborough Fair?_

 _Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme._

 _Remember me to one who lives there,_

 _She once was a true love of mine._

Unbidden, a tear sprang up in the corner of her eye. Angrily, she wiped it away and went out for breakfast.

XXXXXX

Jeff was standing by his Jaguar - hours later than he had intended to start, but it was not as though he had to rush back. Mark And Nataliya were also there, bidding him goodbye.

"Think about what I asked you, okay?" Mark said with a smile. Late the previous evening, and more than three-quarters drunk, Mark had observed that after watching him for a week it was obvious that Jeff was a natural at the lobbying game and that Mark could find him a job if he wanted to move. Jeff had thanked him, but said he'd already signed a contract with Greendale for another year. Mark had observed he was a lawyer and could find a way out of it, but didn't otherwise push.

"I will," Jeff said. _There's only one compelling reason to move out here for good, and it's not a decision I can take without talking to her._

"Don't leave it so long until next time," Mark said, closing in for a hug. He backed off, Nataliya came in for a hug of her own.

"Dos vedanya Jeff, come back soon." She pulled away, smiling.

"Goodbye guys, it was great." Jeff said with a smile of his own as he climbed into the Jag. He put the car into gear and eased it down the drive, returning the waves the other two directed at him as he left.


	9. Chapter 9 - Coming Together

**_Author's Note:_** _I realised I haven't thanked Jeffwik for beta reading everything single chapter of this thing and making suggestions that have consistently improved it since I launched it, so - thanks, Jeff:-)_

XXXXXX

Annie was, for the most part, as good as her word. She tried to be a good girlfriend – she was affectionate, shared Paul's interests, was happy when he tried to share hers and did her best to get on with his family. And indeed, as time passed her inner turmoil died down, a little. There were always distractions, however.

XXXXXX

Annie had a few minutes to spare before the start of the season finale of "Second Chances" while Paul finished up in the kitchen, she'd opened a bottle of wine, poured a glass and switched on her tablet. She smiled when she saw an "online" light against a familiar name and a message.

 _JeffWinger: Hi._

Annie's smile grew. After the last time they saw each other, Jeff had first messaged her the day he got back to Greendale, ostensibly to let her know that he'd got home safely. That conversation had been brief, but they'd been getting longer recently.

 _AnnieE: Hi._

 _JeffWinger: Whatchya doin'?_

 _AnnieE: Seriously, *professor*? Is that the standard of english you're teaching your students? {rolleyes}_

 _JeffWinger: What are you doing? {tongue out} And it's English, Special Agent {smiley face}_

 _AnnieE: Har, har Jeff._

 _JeffWinger: But seriously?_

 _AnnieE: Lounging on the couch in sweatpants and shirt waiting for Abed's show to start and drinking heavily._

 _JeffWinger: Sweatpants and shirt? {sadface}_

 _AnnieE: Down, boy. {smiley face}_

 _JeffWinger: You can't possibly know what I was thinking!_

 _AnnieE: Oh, I think I know exactly what you were thinking._

Annie rolled her eyes and smiled. Their conversations had not only been getting longer they'd been getting more... informal.

 _JeffWinger: Sorry {smiley face}_

 _AnnieE: What about you?_

 _JeffWinger: The same. Britta, Craig and Ian have come around to watch the season finale. Ian has devised a drinking game._

 _AnnieE: I thought he was sober now?_

 _JeffWinger: He is. I think his plan is to drink tea and bitterly mock us as we get drunker and record any indiscretions for blackmail material._

 _AnnieE: Drunker?_

 _JeffWinger: You're not the only one who's started already{smiley face} This is the Tranny Dance episode after all._

 _AnnieE:{scared face} You don't need to remind me…_

 _JeffWinger: What's the betting we have sex tonight?_

Annie smiled and shook her head. She knew she should tell Jeff to calm it down, she really did - but he only got really informal when he was tipsy, like now. And yes, there was a part of her that would always be nineteen and excited by the idea that Jeff Winger thought she was sexy, even if she didn't like to admit it to herself. But he was almost two thousand miles away. Nothing could come of it, right?

 _AnnieE: JIM and HANNAH have sex! And no bet – I'm scared at the direction Abed's been taking this._

 _JeffWinger: Yeah. Ever since he had Bryony hook up with Kemal in the laser tag episode it's as though he's been clearing the decks for this._

 _AnnieE: Though he did have Jim shoot the pair of them in a fit of jealous rage immediately afterwards…_

 _JeffWinger: I know, and Bryony's been apologising ever since._

 _AnnieE: "It wasn't Kemal Jim, it was the Man in Black!" {laughing face}_

 _JeffWinger: Just because she ran away from home with a Johnny Cash tribute act…_

 _AnnieE: Still cooler than Radiohead._

 _JeffWinger: Speak of the devil - gotta go now, Britta's throwing things at me._

 _AnnieE: You can't risk that face! Goodnight Jeff._

 _JeffWinger: Goodnight, Annie._

"Share the joke, babe?" Paul said. Annie realised she was still smiling.

"Britta and a few of the others who were at Greendale back in the day and are still around are having an end of season party. It just sounds like they're already more than half drunk before the show even starts."

"You're joining them by the looks of it…" he pointed at the half empty wine bottle and the glass in front of her.

"I'm just expecting a stressful episode." She picked up the glass and shuddered slightly.

Paul looked puzzled for a moment, then frowned as he remembered an earlier conversation. "This is the next time you kissed him, isn't it?"

Annie nodded. "It was also the last time until I left to join the FBI, and that was strictly a goodbye kiss. This one was a big one though, and I'm slightly worried about what Abed's going to do with it." She had pretty much stopped talking to Paul and instead seemed to be talking to her memories. "I bet he doesn't have his hero go 'oh, I'm too mature and grown-up to hang around with a silly teenage girl - I'll just throw her away like a half eaten sandwich and ignore her until I have to face her again'." Annie surprised herself slightly at how bitter the memories still were. _Maybe he has some idea of how I felt now,_ she thought suddenly, remembering his letter and how he must have felt after seeing her run back into her hotel after the kiss in DC.

It always cheered Paul up to hear Annie say something critical about Jeff, so he threw his arm around her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug. "The guy's a jerk." He said, firmly. "It says a lot about you that you were able to forgive him and still be friends after that."

"Thanks, Paul." She smiled up at him. "Oh - it's starting." The theme tune of the show had started to play.

XXXXXX

"You can stop now, Britta," Jeff grumbled. Britta and Duncan were standing by Jeff's notice board where he displayed a copy of his degree certificate, photos of the study group, and other momentoes. She had been throwing screwed up bits of paper at him to attract his attention.

"What the hell's this, Jeff?" She said.

Jeff wandered over to them and saw they were looking at a new picture - a few weeks earlier, and not long after his regular Messenger exchanges with Annie had started he had printed out and pinned up a copy of the picture of Annie with the carnations in her hair and a soft smile on her face. In his more sentimental moments, he liked to look at it while chatting with her.

"She's a pretty thing, there's no doubt about that. Reminds me of somebody." Duncan was peering closer at the picture.

"That's because it's Annie." Britta snapped. "And a recent one too - why have you got a picture of Annie on your wall, Jeff?"

"You know I met her for lunch in DC, Britta," Jeff was sounding defensive. "You can't be surprised I took a picture of her."

"Fine. But that doesn't explain why she looks like a hippy out of a sixties road movie, or why the picture's on your wall."

Jeff was feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was taking. "The picture's on my wall because I like it -" he pointed to another picture "- it's no more suspicious than having that picture of Taylor and us from when you blackmailed me to take you to the state fair."

"I'd volunteered to help staff the Vegetarian Society's stand and needed a lift and a babysitter." She mumbled.

Jeff ignored her and carried on talking. "She'd been working hard and was looking tired and stressed so I bought her flowers to cheer her up. I may have got the idea to put them in her hair from a song I listened to a few times while driving there, there's no more to it than that."

"Someone told me there's a girl out there with love in her eyes and flowers in her hair." Duncan surprisingly interrupted.

"How the hell do you know _that_?" Jeff blurted out.

"Led Zeppelin are from my home town, Jeff." The Englishman grinned at him in satisfaction at catching him by surprise. "The mystery isn't why _I_ know their songs, it's why _you_ do."

Britta refused to be distracted by a discussion on Seventies English folk rock. "So, Annie's your girl with flowers in her hair? And you're still telling us you're just platonic friends?" Britta's arms were crossed and she was glaring at him.

"Bite me -"

"Get over here everybody! It's starting!" Craig squealed, interrupting the argument before it could escalate. Jeff grumbled and followed Britta and Duncan over to the sofa. He threw himself down next to Britta, forcing her to scramble sideways into Duncan to avoid being crushed.

"Well played, old chap." Duncan said, grinning as he draped an arm over the blonde's shoulders. She glared at his presumption, but snuggled up against him anyway. As the episode progressed, he contented himself with declaiming the rules of his drinking game while the others watched the show -

"Feminist bollocks! Drink up Britta!" Bryony was ranting about being nominated as queen of the Graduate Spotlight Dance (Or the G-Spot Dance as dean Dean called it). Britta snarled, but took a slug of vodka.

"Inappropriate homoeroticism!" The dean was stroking Jim's pecs. Craig sniffed and sipped his martini.

"Disney eyes! Your turn, Winger!" Hannah had just told the others she was leaving with her boyfriend, Dark Mark, who had been recruited by a robo-metal band in Portland, and her face had melted as Jim had given a speech about how much she'd be missed. She hugged him for at least twice as long as any of the others.

XXXXXX

"Did you really decide to leave college to follow a drugged up musician halfway across the country?" Paul looked disbelieving.

"Well, Vaughn was a hippy not a metal guitarist and he was going to Delaware to play hackey sack, but… yes." Annie was cringing slightly at how crazy the whole episode had been.

"And Jeff was the only one you gave advance warning to?"

"I thought he was the one most likely to just support me, and if he was warned he wouldn't let the others tell me how crazy I was being."

"But you were…"

She snuggled up against him. "I know."

XXXXXX

" _Croker, you're a pig." Bryony said._

" _Jim, your a jerk." Professor Painter said. The two women had discovered that Jim, distracted and trying to avoid making a scene, had somehow managed to promise to take both of them on a date._

" _I owe you an apology, Bryony." Painter said. "This ass has played us both."_

" _Thanks, professor. What say we -" She noticed Jim had slipped out in the growing disorder._

XXXXXX

"I got off surprisingly lightly there," Britta said. "I may owe Abed an apology."

"*You* got off lightly. *I* look like a jerk." Jeff grumbled.

"So what else is new?"

XXXXXX

 _Jim walked out of the gym. He saw a familiar figure on the steps outside sitting quite alone with a couple of bags by her. He walked up and sat down beside her._

" _Hi, Morse." He said with a soft smile._

" _Hi, Jim." She replied with a slightly sad smile of her own._

" _What are you doing here?"_

" _Mark and I are over."_

" _I always said he was an idiot."_

 _Hannah smiled at that. "He said I lacked credibility as a robo-metal girlfriend and I needed to change my look and attitude to fit in with his image. I told him if he loved me he'd accept me the way I was and wouldn't try to reduce me to part of his image. The shouting got worse until I demanded he turn the car around and bring me back and told him I didn't want to see him again. We're over, Jim." Hannah repeated. She looked more relieved than disappointed._

 _Jim put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her into him. She rested her head on his shoulder. "Ass." Was all he said._

 _Hannah turned her head slightly to look in his eyes. "What about you Jim, why are you out here?"_

 _He shuddered. "I somehow managed to ask both Bryony and Petra out - I didn't even want to, I was just trying to avoid a scene. I was going to sort it out tomorrow, but they found out first. I needed to get out before they organised a lynch mob."_

" _That was really stupid, Jim." She was smiling now. "How did you get into that mess?"_

" _Well, Bryony is a good friend who is fun to be with but doesn't make any demands. It's easy to imagine just kicking back and being myself with her. Petra is tough and challenging and forces me to try and be the best I can be."_

" _They both sound like good things." She was resting her head on his shoulder again._

" _The thing is, I like being me, you know? I just want to be better at it. I need somebody who accepts me as I am, but still encourages me to be better than I am."_

" _Do you know anybody like that?"_

" _Yes, I do." He pulled away from her slightly and took hold of the point of her chin. Her eyes widened in surprise as with a warm smile he closed in for a kiss. It was soft and unhurried and they were both smiling when they separated._

" _Hey," he said._

" _Hey," she said._

" _Look, I know this really lousy Italian restaurant, the sort of place that couldn't afford to turn away a pair of rejects like us. Will you let me buy you dinner, fair lady?"_

 _Her smile broadened into a full beam. "Lead on, sir knight." She put her arm around his waist. He put his across her shoulders. He picked up one of her bags with his free hand, she the other with hers. Thus entwined, they walked off in the direction of the car park. Fade to black, end credits._

XXXXXX

"That was surprisingly sweet." Britta said softly. "Are you alright, Jeff?" He was sitting motionless, eyes suspiciously bright, thinking guilty thoughts as he remembered a rushed conversation and then disappearing for three months, and thinking suddenly that he now knew what it felt like when somebody you cared about did that.

XXXXXX

"Are you alright, babe?" Paul said with sudden concern. Annie's eyes were moist with tears and she was dabbing the corners of them with a paper tissue.

"Yes, sorry." She said. "I just wasn't expecting it to be so, well…"

"Romantic?"

"Something like that." She put her arms around him and squeezed tightly. He kissed the top of her head, but the expression on his face was thoughtful and conflicted - he was happy she'd reached for him when she was unhappy, but he had rather more mixed feelings about her having such a strong reaction to a romanticised depiction of her relationship with that Jeff guy.

XXXXXX

"Jeffrey, do you need a hug?" Craig said, hopefully.

Jeff snapped out of his reverie. "No - it's nothing serious, that just took me by surprise that's all."

"Oh my god," Britta said. "I've got it - seeing a version of him not being a jerk has reminded him of just how big a jerk he was, kissing poor Annie and then vanishing until fall and he's feeling guilty about it! My name is Britta Perry, and I am a therapist!" She had a jubilant expression on her face and held a hand out for a high five, somewhat hesitantly Duncan slapped it.

"Britta -" Jeff said in a warning tone of voice - she was entirely too close to the truth for his comfort. She interrupted him.

"I know, Jeff - too good at this bleurgh, bleurgh, need to start smoking pot again, bleurgh, bleurgh." Her face changed from mocking to serious. "Just think about this - if you're feeling like this, how do you think Annie is feeling? I don't know what relationship it is you think you have going with her, but I think it would be for your own good to say something to her before she gets to stew on this."

Jeff looked slightly stunned. "Britta I'm only going to say this once without irony, but - you really are good at this." Her expression changed as a surprised smile lit up her face. Jeff continued speaking. "Now if you'll excuse me guys, I'll see you next week for the eve of Thanksgiving party - I've got a message to write."

"I'm not going anywhere Jeff," Britta said. "My child is asleep in your spare room, remember?"

"And I was hoping for some rumpy-pumpy." Duncan said.

"Not with Taylor in the room," Britta snarked.

"Well, I'm still your driver anyway." He grumbled.

Craig looked crestfallen. Jeff sighed. "Craig - you can stay too if you make sure my glass of scotch never drops below one-third full." Craig leapt from his seat with a happy yelp while Jeff reached for his tablet.

XXXXXX

What with one thing and another, Annie didn't get around to checking her messages again until the following morning. When she did, and saw one from Jeff, she was tempted to ignore it until she got home from work, however, curiosity got the better of her.

 _JeffWinger: It is humbling to watch a fictional version of myself treat a fictional version of the most extraordinary person I know with the decency and attentiveness she deserved but did not get in real life. I believed I had reasons at the time for behaving so badly - none of them stand the test of time, and all I am left with is an overwhelming sense of gratitude that you were so much better than I was that you still wanted me to be your friend after all the pain I caused you. I am so very sorry Annie, and thank you for everything._

Annie read it through twice. _Damn you, Jeff - just when I'm getting a good head of steam behind being angry with you you always find the right thing to say to take all the fun out of it._

XXXXXX

When Jeff woke up in Colorado, he was surprised to see a reply had arrived to his message of the night before.

 _AnnieE: I like you because you're a shallow, selfish ass not despite it. Never change Jeff._

Jeff smiled suddenly, got up and went to put the coffee pot on for his overnight guests.

XXXXXX

(The following week)

Jeff Winger's eve of Thanksgiving party was a tradition that traced its origins to the Thanksgiving he had visited his estranged father, the aftermath of which saw him express his gratitude to the bunch of misfits who had become his adopted family by laying a Thanksgiving dinner on for them in the Study Room. The following year he had moved it to the day before Thanksgiving and opened it up to the whole of the Save Greendale Committee, but it served the same purpose - to provide a refuge for a group of people who in many cases were poorly socialised if not outright broken to find friendship and company for an evening before heading off to the dubious bosoms of their biological families. This year, in addition to those who had been present at the previous week's party, Mel Callaghan would be visiting as - much to everyone's pleased surprise - was Frankie Dart, who had taken a break from her current job of turning around a failing health care provider in Fort Collins to visit her old friends for the holiday.

"Do you know how great it is not to be the tallest woman in the room?" She'd said when being introduced to Callaghan.

"No." The redhead had replied, but with a smile. She waved away Frankie's stuttering apologies with a simple "do you want to go and make fun of the midget?" while pointing at Britta.

"So, were you never tempted to make a clean sweep of that particular coven?" Duncan said, looking at the three women chatting.

Jeff looked at him with bafflement and then disbelief as he realised what the Englishman was saying.

"First of all - gross. And second, the team Frankie plays for was and remains a closely guarded secret."

"I'm fairly sure you once said you thought she fancied you, old boy."

"That was during a summer ball that turned into a paintball fight - I was wearing a tux, and sexual orientation is no defence against finding the sight of me in a tux hot." Jeff said complacently.

"This is true," Duncan said, absent mindedly.

"What?"

XXXXXX

For Annie Thanksgiving was also on the Wednesday - Paul's son was having the actual holiday with his mother's family that year, so Paul's family was having the main event the evening before. Annie had made candied yams as an offering and put on a conservative dress, and had set her sights no higher than surviving the evening without a breakdown of some sort, something which she intended to do by spending as much time as possible with Paul's sisters-in-law who, as fellow outsiders, had unreservedly welcomed her to their group.

"It really isn't going to be that bad, you know." Paul said to her with a sympathetic smile as they waited for the front door to his parent's house to open.

"Hello James," said Annie, as Paul's son opened the door. He ignored her.

"James!" Paul barked sharply.

"Hello Annie," the boy mumbled.

Annie had a brave smile fixed on her face. "What are you listening to?" She said as she walked through the door into the house. He hadn't taken the headphones out of his ear once. He considered ignoring her again, but saw the expression on his father's face and grudgingly showed her the display on the front of his phone -

 _Artist - Smilin' Menace_

 _Album - Going Viral_

 _Track 4 - Oslo Puritans_

"He's a friend of mine, you know." Annie said suddenly.

James' expression went flat and hostile. "There is _no way_ you know Smilin' Menace."

They were still walking and had almost reached the lounge. Annie had passed the yams to Paul and was fishing in her bag for her phone while she talked. "We went to high school and college together." She said. "Him, me and Abed Nadir - the director who shot his most recent video - shared an apartment for over two years." She had got her phone out and opened her Cloud storage app and found the picture she was looking for. "See for yourself." She passed it to James, it showed a picture of Abed as Inspector Spacetime, Troy as Constable Reggie and Annie as Geneva Stilton. "We were going to a costume party as characters from a British SciFi show."

"You really did know him?" James actually sounded impressed by Annie for the first time. "Tell me everything."

Annie's face lit up as she started talking. Paul smiled indulgently as he took the yams through to the kitchen where his mother was putting the final touches to dinner.

XXXXXX

"Why is Duncan going around telling bad odd one out jokes?" Frankie had worked her way around to Jeff.

"Oh crap," Jeff said with a shudder.

"Not an answer, Jeff."

Jeff took another slug of his scotch. "It's because you're the only woman here I haven't slept with yet."

"That's none of his - wait, _yet?"_ Frankie looked like she was about to explode with rage.

"Period! I meant slept with, period!" Jeff said frantically. "Strictly force of habit, I promise."

Frankie looked sceptical, but calmed down. "You were cute and all Jeff," she said. "But ignoring anything else, you only had eyes for Annie."

"So did you." Jeff suddenly found himself wondering just how much scotch he'd actually drunk. Frankie looked like she was about to explode again for a moment, but thought about it and calmed down.

"She's one of a kind, Jeff." Frankie said instead. "Liking her doesn't settle your pool."

 _You still haven't forgotten that, have you?_ Jeff thought to himself. He clinked his glass against hers in acknowledgement instead.

"So what's she doing now?"

Jeff looked at her in surprise. "Hasn't she friended you yet?"

"I'm not on social media, I thought you knew that."

"You, and virtually no-one else. I'll email you a link. She's an FBI agent in Virginia, she's doing really well and has a boyfriend who makes her happy."

Frankie thought for a moment at that. She had thought there was something unhealthy about Jeff and Annie's relationship at the time, but there was no denying how close losing her had come to breaking him. And besides, he was a friend and she didn't like hearing the note of loss in his voice. "I'm sorry to hear that, Jeff." She said.

"That's how things break Frankie, sometimes you only get one chance."

XXXXXX

Annie was actually smiling as the evening wound down and they prepared to leave. "I'll email you the pictures I promised, James." She said to Paul's son as she said her goodbyes. The boy smiled at her and said his thanks. The rest of the family watched them leave with a genial chorus of "'bye Paul"s and "'bye Annie"s ringing in their ears.

"See, I said it wouldn't be so bad." Paul said with a grin as they walked to his car.

Annie sighed with relief. "If I'd known all it took to get them to like me was to tell them stories of how crazy I was in college I'd have done it much sooner."

"Heck - even mom was laughing as you told the story about how the entire school was turned upside down in the hunt for the murderer of a yam." Paul was smiling on the outside, but on the inside he was feeling a lot more conflicted. He was not a foolish man, and he had noticed how many of the stories Annie told, and especially the ones she seemed fondest of, seemed to involve Jeff and her working together without anyone else. _She tells me she's long since over any crush she had and they're just friends now given how old he is, but you don't smile like that when you're just thinking about friends._

"Paul," Annie derailed his train of thought. "You know it's my 30th birthday in a month's time, right?"

"Yes babe, why?"

"I think I'd really like to invite all my old friends, and try and make a reunion out of it."

"We can try, but the timings going to be tight - do you have something in your eyes? You look like you're trying to blink, but can't. Ahh, that's better. Let's get home."

 _That was my best Disney eyes, and he thought I had grit in them!_ A part of Annie that would be forever Greendale and was awoken by her story telling was fuming.

XXXXXX

The month between Thanksgiving and her birthday was stressful for Annie - sending out the invitations had been the easy part, Jeff, Britta, Craig, Shirley and Abed all responded almost immediately (Abed was asked to pass an invitation on to Troy, as Annie did not have contact details for him). Annie had wanted a small, intimate party that would enable her to focus on her friends, but the guest list had started growing as Paul started adding friends and family outside the core group of mutual acquaintances Annie was happy with, leading to several increasingly angry arguments as the tension increased.

("I barely even know the Davidsons!"

"I'm sorry, but if they hear the Kitteredges were invited and they weren't they'll be deeply offended - and I'm going for promotion next year and I'll need Julia's goodwill."

"It's _my_ birthday, Paul!"

And so on.)

Then there was the desperate ring-around to find a venue that wasn't booked up for the last Saturday before Christmas - they eventually found a hotel charging only three times the going rate - and catering, and a DJ (Paul had a cousin who had a boyfriend who stepped up to the plate for that one, which meant even more invitations for people Annie didn't know well) and numerous other things which meant that by the time the week before the party came round Annie was on a hair-trigger temper and snapping at all and sundry and just desperately hoping for the day itself to arrive so she could finally relax and enjoy herself.

XXXXXX

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _I've had a crazy day, can you say something that will make me laugh?_

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _Craig's broken his leg._

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _Jeff! Why would that be funny?_

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _Have you heard of the new 101 Dalmatians film?_

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _The one with Selina Gomez as Cruella de Vil?_

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _That's the one. Craig was so excited – I mean, dalmatians *and* Selina Gomez? – that he decided to camp out the night before tickets went on sale to make sure he got his ASAP._

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _He was wearing a dalmatian onesie._

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _And it was snowing._

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _And the snowplough didn't see him, and he didn't wake up in time to avoid it…_

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _That's not funny, Jeff! (Well, maybe a little){smiley face}_

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _It does mean he won't make your party though._

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _{sad face}_

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _So why do you need the benefit of my wit and charm?_

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _I went shopping for a party dress with Paul's brother's wife today._

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _Ah – SiL a bitch, was she?_

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _Actually, Ursula is lovely. She's just tall and slim and built like a runway model._

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _As I said, a bitch. {winking face}_

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _Har har Jeff. The problem wasn't Ursula, it was the sales staff – they were all over her for the opportunity to serve somebody their clothes were actually designed for, and they all but ignored me.{frown} One even suggested that somebody as short as me would be better off looking in the children's section! {angry face}_

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _Yeah. I can think of all sorts of reasons why that wouldn't work. {dancing monkey}_

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _Sorry? I don't understand that emoji._

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _Annie's Boobs._

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _Jeff! {Shocked face}{blushing face}{smiley face}_

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _Sorry, Annie. {winking face} But seriously, anybody who can look at you for more than a nanosecond and think 'Children's department' should be fired for gross idiocy. Did you at least get the dress you were looking for?_

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _Thanks Jeff, and yes I did._

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _Good - one less thing for you to worry about, I'm sure you'll rock it._

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _Thanks, what about you?_

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _I will be immaculate, as always {smiley face} I haven't had a chance to buy anything new - Britta decided she and Taylor needed party dresses and demanded I come along - I was too busy shepherding those two to buy anything other than a new pair of cufflinks and a tie {sad face}_

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _It's not like Britta to care about a man's opinion._

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _Especially yours…_

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _If you asked me, she only wanted me there to tell Taylor she looked cute in pink - Taylor refuses to wear anything else, Britta thinks it's too gender normasomething or another and refuses to encourage her._

 _ **AnnieE**_ _: Normative. Why didn't she take her boyfriend along?_

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _Duncan? Fled to London. His mother's only got days to live, apparently._

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _Aw, that's sad {sad face}_

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _If you believe Duncan, she's been at death's door for about five years now, he thinks it's just a plan to get him back for Christmas. Have I managed to cheer you up yet?_

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _A little – thanks again, Jeff {smiley face} And sorry, but I've got to go. See you at the party - even if you don't have a new suit, I'm sure you'll make an old one worth looking at {wink}_

 _ **JeffWinger:**_ _Bet on it. {Cool face} See you at the party. Bye Annie._

 _ **AnnieE:**_ _Goodbye Jeff, thanks again for the chat {smiley face}_

Annie _was_ smiling as she shut down her tablet. She really did have to go – there were some last minute party planning issues that just couldn't wait – but she was getting tired of having to hide her chats with Jeff from Paul. _That wasn't too bad, was it? Why can't Paul understand Jeff and I really can just be friends?_ One thing she was really hoping the party would achieve was that once Paul and Jeff met Paul would see that her and Jeff really were just good friends and he could set aside his jealousy so that she didn't have to hide from her boyfriend the fact she was chatting to Jeff any more.

XXXXXX

 _ **Author's note:**_ _(This chapter is dedicated to my wife and our oldest and closest friend, who were respectively the tall, slim one built like a fashion model and mobbed by the sales staff and the petite girl who had the children's section recommended to her in real life.)_


	10. Chapter 10 - Meetings

Jeff, Britta and Taylor had flown in to Norfolk on the Saturday afternoon and gone straight to their hotel rooms to change. They had managed to text Annie the news of their arrival, but hadn't otherwise been in touch.

There was a loud knocking on Jeff's door. "Aren't you ready yet, Winger?"

"Coming, Britta." Jeff threw his jacket on, paused in front of the full length mirror to adjust the hang fractionally, nodded his approval and opened the door to his room. Britta was waiting outside with Taylor standing a few paces away looking at a fire extinguisher. Jeff scanned Britta from head to foot, then nodded.

"You'll do."

" _Excuse me?"_

"If you're going to walk into this party by my side you need to look as though you deserve to be there. As I said, you'll do." He grinned at her. In fact Britta looked very good indeed, but their friendship was based more on snark than complements so there was a code to these things they both understood.

"You're a jerk, Winger – I bet that jacket alone cost enough to feed an African village for a week." Britta had stolen an appreciative glance of her own.

"And the shirt would pay for a well," he added cheerfully.

"Mommy!" Taylor had tottered over and was holding her arms in the air begging to be picked up.

"Sorry darling, but not in these shoes – ask uncle Jeff, it was his idea mommy dresses up like she's being auctioned off at a cattle market."

"Sheesh Britta – do you know how hard it is to get creases out of this jacket?" He complained without heat. "Come here munchkin," he said as Taylor tottered over only to squeal in delight as Jeff effortlessly hoisted her into the air and settled her in the crook of his arm. "Hold this, sweetheart." He passed Taylor the present he'd brought for Annie. "Shall we?" He offered his other arm to Britta, who rolled her eyes but took it.

XXXXXX

Annie and Paul were standing by the door of the function room they'd booked saying hello to guests as they arrived. It was Annie who was the first to see the elevator door open and Jeff walk out with Britta on one arm and a small child - Britta's presumably - in the crook of the other. As she saw how comfortable they looked together she remembered something she'd thought the night of the conference when she'd seen Jeff for the first time in over four years - _they have so much history together that I'm not part of any more._

Remembering the conference had another effect. She looked at Jeff more closely and recognised his outfit - cream slacks, pale blue shirt, dark blue sports jacket with only a yellow tie to add a different note - as the same one he'd worn that night. Annie blushed suddenly, remembering how that evening ended, and found herself wondering if that was why Jeff had picked it.

"Who are they?" Paul had noticed Annie staring at the approaching group.

Annie snapped out of her trance. "Jeff and Britta," she said.

 _That's Jeff?_ Paul thought to himself. _The way you kept describing him I was expecting someone ancient!_

Annie could tell the exact moment when Jeff spotted her. He stopped talking to Britta in mid-sentence and then seemed to focus entirely on Annie as his eyes doubled in size.

 _Wow, just… wow._ Was all Jeff could think. In truth, Annie wasn't wearing anything that showy - a form-fitting, sleeveless, just above knee length black dress and jewellery drawing discreet attention to a generous hint of cleavage, but Jeff found his eyes drawn to her as if by magnets.

"When did Annie start dressing like that?" Britta muttered.

"When she grew up." Jeff whispered back, earning him an odd look from his friend. Jeff gently lowered Taylor to the ground as the distance between the two groups closed.

"You look amazing, Annie." He said, with his trademark cocky grin back in place as he bent forward for a hug.

"You're doing okay yourself Jeff," she replied with a smile as she accepted his hug and pulled him in closer.

Jeff briefly kissed her on the cheek. "Milady," he whispered into her ear, too quietly for anybody else to hear, at the moment of closest contact. _Why the hell did you do that, Winger?_ He found himself thinking. _That was way out of line!_ But he felt like he got his answer when he felt her shiver slightly in his arms as the whisper ended and in the way their eyes met for a fraction of a second as they separated.

Annie swiftly moved on to her other friend - "Britta - it's great to see you!" - another hug - " and this must be Taylor! Aren't you the cutest little thing?" Taylor was hiding shyly behind her mother's legs as Britta urged her forwards.

Jeff felt a shadow fall across him. "Hi, I'm Paul Randall." The other man said, with a smile on his face that went nowhere near his eyes, which were cold and hard. "Annie's boyfriend." He held out his hand to Jeff.

"Jeff Winger, Annie's college friend. Hi." Jeff's smile was equally false. He took Paul's hand, only to feel Paul start to squeeze it. Jeff's expression didn't change, apart from his smile increasing slightly as he squeezed back. _You may be younger than me but I bet you don't bench press more than your own body weight every day._

It was Paul who pulled back first, much to Jeff's satisfaction. "Paul," Annie said. "This is my friend Britta."

Paul made a point of taking Britta's hand and pulling her in for a kiss on the cheek. "It's a pleasure to meet you at last Britta - Annie spends so much time messaging you I almost feel I know you already!"

Britta looked confused for a moment - she messaged with Annie maybe once a week - then saw Annie's panic-stricken expression off to one side. "That's right!" Britta said with a fake chuckle. "We're constantly catching up!"

Paul's expression briefly went suspicious. "So - are you two together?" Britta laughed, genuinely this time.

" _What?_ Jeff and me - good grief no. We've circled that drain far too many times to go anywhere near it again! We're just friends now."

"Well, that's nice." Paul's fake smile was back. "With any luck we can talk later."

"Thanks, that would be nice." Puzzled by what had just happened, Britta turned away. Annie followed for a moment to show them where to put their presents and explain the arrangements that had been made for children. Paul's brother came up behind him.

"Wasn't that supposed to be the drunken old deadbeat of a pick-up artist who went to school with Annie?"

"Yeah."

"Then what the hell happened there? He looks like a taller, better looking version of you."

"I have no idea, but I'd like to find out." Paul's expression had turned grim.

XXXXXX

"Abed!" Annie squealed. Her old flatmate had arrived barely ten minutes after Britta and Jeff.

"Annie," he just managed to get out before being seized in an asphyxiating hug.

"We are _so_ going to have a talk about what you've been doing in that show of yours." But the stern tone was belied by the huge smile on her face.

She looked past him with a nervous expression on her face. "Did -"

"I'm sorry, Annie." There was a faint note of regret on Abed's usually expressionless face. "Troy has a gig in New York tonight he couldn't get out of. He did send a message though." Abed pulled out his tablet and switched it on. It showed Troy - Smilin' Menace - sitting in what looked like a private jet.

" _Hi Annie - sorry I couldn't make it to your party, but Abed should have explained it to you by now. I hope you have a great evening and we get to meet up again soon! The only thing left for me to say is -"_

"Turn around, Annie."

It took Annie a moment to realise that that hadn't come out of the tablet. She turned around hesitantly.

"Troy!" She squealed, stealing another huge hug. Troy was grinning as broadly as she was.

"Wait - what about New York?"

Troy was still smiling. "It's a nightclub opening. I'm not due on stage until eleven - my jet's waiting at Norfolk. So long as we're wheels up by half past eight -" it was just coming up to seven o'clock "- I'll get to Teterboro by ten and easily make it. After you had to cancel California, I wouldn't have missed this for the world."

"Aw Troy," Annie's face had melted and she was hugging him again.

"It's true," Abed said. "I had to hitch a lift with him after I missed my flight due to a script meeting."

"It sucks when that happens." Paul had walked over. "Hi, Paul Randall." He said, offering his hand.

"Abed, Troy, meet Paul, my boyfriend." Hands were shook. Troy looked puzzled for a moment.

"So, wait? You're not -" Then he noticed Annie shaking her head. He nodded his head slightly in understanding.

"Let's go talk to to Jeff and Britta." Abed abruptly said, pulling Troy's elbow. "We'll speak to you when you've welcomed all your guests, Annie." He held a hand out. Annie hesitated fractionally then smiled and did their pushing back and forth handshake.

"What was all that about?" Paul said.

"I've no idea. Troy and Abed always made their own rules."

XXXXXX

"Annie!"

"Shirley!"

The two women had spotted each other and scurried into an excited embrace almost as soon as Shirley walked through the door.

"You look amazing!"

"So do you! It's been too long –"

"Auntie Annie?" The speaker was a tall, slim young man standing behind Shirley. Annie looked baffled for a moment, then a broad grin spread across her face as she recognised him.

"Elijah? Come here!" And another big hug. "And you must be Ben!" She said to the younger boy hiding nervously behind his brother – which did not help him escape yet another hug. "And where's –" but Shirley had already pulled out her phone and was passing it to Annie. It was a group picture showing a beaming Shirley with Ben and Elijah standing on her right side and a giant of a man looking resplendent in dress blues on her left.

"Private First Class Jordan Bennett, United States Marine Corps." She said, her voice ringing with pride. "He'd be here, but his holiday leave doesn't start until Monday. We'll be picking him up then and spending Christmas with my sister in Richmond."

"Huh-hmm." Paul was signalling for attention.

"Oh, and Shirley – this is my boyfriend Paul. Paul, this is Shirley Bennett and her sons Elijah and Ben."

"Pleased to meet you, Ma'am." Paul said with a smile on his face as he held out his hand.

"So you're the one who landed our Annie, then?" Shirley had a suspicious expression on her face as she scanned him up and down.

"Yes, ma'am?" Paul wasn't quite sure what to make of Shirley.

"Uh-hmm." Shirley hummed one last time. "Now if you'll excuse us, we have such a lot of catching up to do." Annie mouthed a 'sorry' at Paul as Shirley hauled her into the function room, heading towards where the others were gathered near the bar. Paul, seeing that most of the guests had arrived, shrugged and followed her in.

XXXXXX

Paul really did understand it was Annie's party. He also understood she hadn't seen her college friends in five years and they had a lot of catching up to do. But if that was all it was, then he didn't understand why she was so close to the guy she'd only seen six months ago or why that guy was looking at her like she was the only person in the room – okay Paul did kind of understand that, but he didn't welcome it – but what he didn't understand or welcome was why she was completely comfortable with him looking at her like that. _What the hell went on between those two, and is it really ancient history?_

"So those are Annie's friends we've heard so much about." Paul's brother was back. "They seem like an intense bunch." They were virtually mobbing Annie, talking over the top of each other while Annie tried to answer their questions while smiling as though she was having the time of her life. All except the tall guy that is, who had handed Annie a drink as soon as she arrived - _so he knows what she drinks too,_ Paul thought sourly - but who had then contented himself with standing by her side and smiling softly while she talked. _She isn't saying anything that's new to him._ He suddenly thought as a nasty suspicion began to form. _Did they really talk about that much at one meeting six months ago, or -_

"Intense? Yeah, that's one word for it." He said.

XXXXXX

"It really is you, isn't it?" James had gathered up the courage to approach Troy. "You're Smilin' Menace!" A bunch of friends were hanging back a few paces.

"Troy, this is Paul's son James." Annie said, smiling.

"Hi kid," Troy said. "So you're a fan then?" James nodded slightly, almost frozen with nerves and quite unable to speak. "Yeah, I know what that feels like," Troy said with a huge grin. "Do you have a camera? We can do a selfie if you want."

"Annie?" Paul had approached from the other direction. "We need to circulate more, there are plenty of people you've barely said hello to."

"Paul." Annie had her formidable face on. Jeff, who was watching from the sidelines, thought she must have practised it as it now looked genuinely scary not just adorably stern. "I haven't seen my friends for _five years,_ and Troy has to leave in less than half an hour."

Paul didn't back down. "He'll be busy with his fans for a while, you can spare some time." He took hold of her elbow and attempted to steer her away.

"Fine." Annie spat out. "You've got ten minutes, then I'm coming back even if I'm in the middle of a sentence." Still holding her arm, Paul led her to the nearest group of guests.

The group had temporarily broken up - Abed was helping the kids take selfies with Troy - and appearing in a few himself, with kids who recognised him as the director of Troy's latest video - and Shirley was making sure Elijah and Ben got more than their fair share of pictures, leaving Britta alone with Jeff.

"Okay Jeff, what's going on?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Britta."

"Seriously Jeff? Are you going to make me do this? Okay then - how often do you message Annie?" she'd turned to face him and was looking at him with an accusing expression in her eyes.

"It's none of your business Britta." Jeff was starting to look angry.

"It became my business when Paul told us I was constantly chatting to her and I lied to cover up the fact I have maybe one five minute exchange a week with her." She snapped back. "So it's either you she's messaging or someone else we both know so that she can get away with using me as a cover story. So unless you think she's having an affair with Craig…" Britta let her voice tail off.

Jeff sighed. "Fine. We chat maybe two or three times a week, but it's just normal friend stuff, nothing to get excited about." _Or every other day, or almost every day the last week when she needed to vent about how stressful preparing for the party was, or about shopping for the perfect party dress with her boyfriend's sister in law..._

"Oh, and I've seen her twice in six months, and the second time we were outdoors the whole time. If that counts as an affair, then it's the most pathetic one since ours in the first week of Sophomore year." He snapped.

Britta's face went white. "Fine, Jeff." She hissed. "Stew in denial and take it out on me all you want - but don't say you weren't warned when whatever you two are up to crashes and burns around you."

"I'm not denying anything -" but Britta had pivoted on a heel and gone to check Taylor was playing safely with the other children.

XXXXXX

"Hey kids, it's been great but I've got to call time there - I need to be in New York tonight and there's one thing I have to do before I go." Troy gave his fans one last smile and wave and walked over to the disc jockey, whose eyes widened with shock when he saw who was approaching. Abed said goodbye at the same time and followed him.

"Hey dude, I need a favour…" Troy said to the DJ.

XXXXXX

Annie was somehow managing to make polite small talk with Paul's boss and his wife when she felt a hand land on her shoulder. She was still turning when Troy started speaking.

"Excuse me folks, but I have to leave soon and I can't go without at least one dance with the birthday girl." Smiling, but without waiting for an answer, Troy pulled Annie onto the still almost empty dancefloor. Paul, almost speechless with surprise, struggled to apologise to the others.

"He's her old high school crush you know." A new voice had spoken as the DJ started playing "Sombre" as Troy and Annie reached the floor and started dancing to Smilin' Menace's breakout hit.

"I knew they went to school together, but not the rest. Abed isn't it?" Paul said. _Are there any other ex-sweethearts here I don't know about yet Annie?_ He thought, fuming.

If Abed noticed Paul's mood he gave no sign. "The crush lasted most of the first semester at Greendale, but by the time Troy was ready to return it she'd long since moved on. By the time the three of us were sharing an apartment they'd both moved on and were happy just being good friends. Annie's actually really good at staying friends with guys she used to have a thing for, it helps that she doesn't like to look back."

Paul didn't know whether Abed was being helpful or sarcastic - his flat, emotionless tone could be taken almost any way - but being told the guy his girlfriend was dancing with so happily was an ex-crush as well as a millionaire recording artist was doing nothing for his mood. _She should have had the first dance of the evening with me,_ he thought sourly.

XXXXXX

Britta still hadn't come back when Troy went over to dance with Annie so, feeling vaguely guilty, Jeff went to look for her. He didn't have to go far, as the children were playing in a neighbouring room under the watchful eye of a couple of mothers who had volunteered for the job. Britta was standing a couple of steps inside the door watching the children play. She didn't turn around as Jeff approached.

"Taylor seems to have found an admirer." He said softly. She was happily playing with a small, Indian looking boy wearing some sort of headscarf. Britta grunted but didn't turn around.

"That's my son, Navinder." Another voice unexpectedly said. Jeff turned slightly and saw a tall man in a smart suit and turban walk up and offer his hand. "Atal Singh Chawal," he said. "I'm Annie's FBI partner."

Jeff smiled, shook his hand. "Jeff Winger and Britta Perry," he said. "Annie's friends from college." Hearing herself named, Britta was forced to turn and acknowledge Jeff's arrival. She shook Atal's hand in turn.

"Your daughter's very pretty." Atal said.

"Oh, she's -" said Jeff.

"Thank you, your son's a real cutie too." Britta put on a brilliant smile as she hooked her hand round Jeff's arm. Jeff raised an eyebrow. Britta's smile - and her grip - didn't falter.

"I'm sorry we can't stay and talk, but I think Troy's about to leave." Jeff said. "He's having a farewell dance with Annie as we speak. It was good to meet you Atal." They shook hands again as they said their farewells and walked back to the main room.

"What was that about?" Jeff hissed.

"Punishing you." She said with an even broader smile. "When word gets around that you have a child and baby mother here any hope you may have had of hooking up with somebody tonight will disappear."

Jeff sighed. "Do you really think I'd try to hook up at Annie's birthday party?" Britta flashed him a look that seemed to say _just how many years have we known each other, exactly?_ Jeff sighed again. "I'm sorry I was angry with you, it's just stressful to have to keep repeating that there's nothing going on between Annie and me."

XXXXXX

Paul really was trying hard to be understanding - he understood why her friend wanted to dance with Annie before he left, he even understood why he took her back to their friends for a series of extended goodbyes and group hugs, but he was having difficulty understanding why it was half an hour later and she still hadn't come back. Worse - they had split up into two sub-groups now, with Britta, Abed and Shirley in one group leaving Annie standing slightly too close to, and talking rather too animatedly with, the big guy. Pretty much the last straw came when the big guy reached up to tuck a stray wisp of hair back behind her ear as Annie, instead of taking offence, smiled like the shy girl in class who'd just been asked for her phone number by the star quarterback. Paul threw down the remains of his diet coke, made his apologies to the people he was currently talking to, put on his best fake smile and walked over.

"May I ask the birthday girl for a dance?" He said as he took her elbow. Annie hesitated for a moment - _why?_ Paul thought - then passed her glass to Jeff with a request he keep it safe. Jeff smiled and bowed slightly as he waved her away.

"So, the reunion going well?" Paul asked her as he span her into the middle of the dance floor.

"Yes it has, as you'd know if you'd spent any time with us." Annie snapped back.

"I was mixing with the rest of our guests - you know, the ones you're ignoring?"

" _Your_ guests." Annie was looking tense and angry. "Those -" she nodded towards where Jeff had just walked over to join Britta and the others "- are people I haven't seen for five years but who are still the closest I have to family, and who I asked for this party to get them all together in the first place."

"Can we not do this argument again, Annie? Can't we just enjoy a nice dance?"

"I'm sorry, Paul. It's just -" Annie sighed. "Look, after this dance I promise to do another circuit of the room with you, okay?"

"Thanks babe."

XXXXXX

"Shirley, May I?" Jeff held out a hand.

"Are you asking me to dance, Jeffrey? you ain't never done that before." Shirley was staring at him.

"Well, after Britta put the word around we were a couple and Taylor was -"

"Oh you did _not_ just say you're only asking me to dance because you've got no other choice!" Now she was actively glaring at him.

"Er - " Jeff's expression was now one of frozen panic.

She smiled suddenly. "Come along boy." And, grabbing his arm, she dragged him to the dance floor.

Abed raised an eyebrow and offered Britta his arm, she shrugged and took it. They followed Jeff and Shirley onto the dance floor.

XXXXXX

Annie kept her promise and after a dance let Paul take her on a circuit of the room, concentrating on those guests they'd missed on the circuit that had been interrupted by Troy's departure. She found herself watching her friends on the dance floor out of the corner of her eye though, and saw the moment when the two couples met in the middle of the floor and swapped partners, though not before Britta appeared to give Jeff an earful - _doubtless complaining about being treated like a character in a Jane Austen novel,_ she thought wryly, and then chuckled as she realised she was even feeling nostalgic for Britta's passionate but misdirected rants. She actively giggled as she heard the new track play. _Abed would never be so brazen in one of his screenplays,_ she thought.

"What's so funny babe?"

"It's a long story, Paul."

XXXXXX

Jeff and Shirley found themselves not far from Britta and Abed in the middle of the floor when one song ended. "Shirley, thanks." He said. "Would you mind if we -"

"Hell no boy. I've been watching him - Abed's got some _fiiiine_ moves on him." She smiled at him.

Jeff smiled back, then walked over to the others. "May I cut in?" He said to Abed.

"Hey, Winger!" Britta said. "I'm the one you should be asking - I'm not some delicate flower in a Jane Austen novel, thrilled because the handsome rogue has deigned to notice her!"

"Is that any way to talk to the father of your child, Britta?" Jeff said with a look of complete innocence on his face.

She glared at him, but took his outstretched hand. It was her turn to laugh when she recognised the new track start to play and Jeff groaned.

 _Roxanne,  
_ _You don't have to put on the red light..._

XXXXXX

Paul sighed. It was obvious that Annie was barely paying attention any more as her friends finished dancing and headed back to the bar area.

"You go babe," he said. "We've seen just about everybody now, anyway."

"Thanks Paul," Annie smiled, kissed him on the cheek and skipped away. _Why is it that the happiest smile I get from her all night is when I send her away?_ He thought, slightly bitterly. His mood wasn't improved as he saw the big guy once again hand her a drink as soon as she arrived and get rewarded with another brilliant smile.

XXXXXX

Annie was having the time of her life. Re-connecting with her friends had proved even better than she had hoped - after they had all caught up on their lives it was almost as though the last five years didn't matter, she was feeling buzzed and lightheaded from the martinis she had been drinking and increasingly starting to think that only one thing was missing to make the night perfect when she heard Jeff groan again as another familiar song started to play.

She smiled suddenly, grabbed Jeff's hand and started to pull. "Come on Jeff! I know I'm not Craig but…"

"Oh no, Annie…" Jeff was refusing to move. Annie stopped smiling and instead turned the corner of her lips down as her eyes, fuelled by multiple martinis, appeared to double in size and glisten with unshed tears. Jeff sighed.

"Not the eyes Annie, please!" But he sighed and let her lead him to the dance floor. Her smile returned as though a switch had been flicked.

 _But did you know,  
_ _That when it snows,  
_ _My eyes become large and  
_ _The light that you shine can be seen..._

XXXXXX

Paul had started walking across the floor as soon as he saw Annie start pulling at Jeff's hand. He didn't actually get there until after they started dancing however, so he sighed to himself, put on a smile and turned to Britta.

"I came over here to ask my girlfriend for a dance, but as she's dancing with your boyfriend, do you mind?"

"Jeff's not my boyfriend - oh, what the hell." She smiled, took Paul's outstretched hand and let him lead her onto the floor.

"You guys have been spending a lot of time together tonight," he said.

Britta nodded. "You really need to understand that Jeff and I are the only ones of our group who still see each other regularly. We get to see Abed perhaps once or twice a year and we've seen Shirley three times since graduation, but this is the first time any of us have seen Annie in over five years except for Jeff, and even he's only seen her twice in the last six months. And we all used to be so close, it's been great to get that feeling back again."

It almost slipped by Paul, it really did. But then he replayed what Britta said in his head. _Twice? Annie's only mentioned meeting him once - when did she meet him again and why didn't she tell me?_ A cold feeling of dread settled into the pit of his stomach as he looked across at the other couple just as Jeff swung her out and then pulled her back in, Annie laughing joyously as she span back into contact and their eyes met again and the laugh turned into a soft smile. Paul fought with every ounce of his being to keep his suspicions off his face and concentrated on interrogating Britta.

Britta, to be fair to her, didn't really understand what was going on - she was easily more than half drunk by that time of night and being expertly questioned by a top prosecutor who was stone cold sober. It took maybe a song and a half, perhaps two, but Paul found out about the second trip to DC and a phrase that seemed to mean something to Jeff - 'the girl with flowers in her hair' - Paul had a sudden sick memory of seeing carnations in a glass on the coffee table one day after Annie had been working late in DC and she'd slept on the couch instead of coming up to bed. _Was she unwilling to come to my bed because she'd been doing - it - with him?_

He also got the strong impression that Annie was in more regular contact with Jeff than she'd let on, but most especially he got the impression that something more than just drinking and catching up had gone on the first time they'd met in DC - Britta wasn't saying anything more and Paul was reluctant to arouse her suspicions by pushing her any harder, but he felt he didn't need to. He remembered the conversation they'd had that night and how odd Annie had sounded and how affectionate, passionate even, she'd been when she got home the following day as though she was trying to apologise for something. _Something happened that night that she regretted, that she didn't want to tell me about._ Paul's suspicions congealed into a dreadful certainty.

 _She's cheating on me. With him. She has to be._

XXXXXX

Annie had danced with Jeff four times in her life previously. The first time had been at her Dias de los Muertos dance, when he redeemed an evening of selfish and devious behaviour by pulling her into the middle of a crowded study room doubling as a party venue and exuberantly flinging her about the floor as their friends and classmates watched and cheered and which, if she was honest with herself, was the moment when the tangled mess of feelings and emotions she'd bottled up under the label of "the Annie of it all" began.

The second time had been the night of her twenty first birthday when, in a deliberate attempt to avoid the depressing emotions that had accompanied Troy's 21st, the gang had gone to a nightclub where the music was so loud they could barely hear themselves think, never mind talk. Annie had danced exuberantly with all of her friends, but by the time Jeff's turn came round the music had slowed down (Jeff would blame Abed and his desire to move the plot on) and they spent a few sweet minutes swaying gently in each others arms smiling stupidly at each other. They were so drunk they would only have hazy memories of it afterwards, but it was the point at which any remaining awkwardness from the time Annie had danced _for_ him a couple of weeks previously to get him to join the Glee Club dissipated.

The third time had been the party following Jeff's early graduation at the end of the Fall Semester in the group's fourth year. This dance had been a more bittersweet affair as, despite promises to stay in touch, there was a feeling in the air that they'd never be this close again and they'd danced as though it was the last time – eyes locked on each other, no words being exchanged, and their friends giving them all the space they needed.

The fourth time was the night before Jeff took Abed and Annie to the airport, when their friends had thrown a going away party for them at the apartment she'd shared for over three years. This time goodbyes had already been said, feelings revealed and a kiss shared days earlier and so there was time only for laughter and merriment and promises to always be part of each other's lives no matter how far apart they strayed. Ironically, and despite all the promises, apart from one brief visit between completing her internship and starting at Quantico that would be the last time Jeff and Annie were alone together until the night of the conference in DC and the last time they danced until tonight.

When Annie had dragged Jeff on to the floor she had expected at any moment to be interrupted by Paul cutting in – he had been in a funny mood all night – but when she saw him dancing with Britta and engaging her in animated conversation instead she smiled inwardly with relief and thought to herself how good it was that he was finally unwinding with her friends and making the effort to get to know them so she relaxed and concentrated on dancing with Jeff. The first two tracks – "Kiss from a Rose" and "Tainted Love" saw a sufficiency of movement and jovial throwing around the dance floor but when Demi Lovato's version of "The Rose" started up, Jeff raised an eyebrow and smiled an implied question at her.

XXXXXX

 _Some say love, it is a river  
_ _That drowns the tender reed  
_ _Some say love, it is a razor  
_ _That leaves your soul to bleed._

Jeff hadn't meant it to happen, he really hadn't. But he was so pumped up from a mixture of Scotch, excitement towards the end of a great evening with friends and carefree physical contact with Annie over two dances that, when the slower, more romantic song started, instead of leaving the floor he'd thrown Annie a carefully ambiguous look which could just as easily have meant either _time to put a lid on this?_ or _one last turn around the floor?_ And when she'd smiled back at him and stepped closer, he'd pulled her in further until their bodies were almost touching and they were looking into each other's eyes as they swayed back and forth.

 _Some say love, it is a hunger  
_ _An endless aching need.  
_ _I say love, it is a flower  
_ _And you, its only seed._

Believe it or not, but there was a part of Jeff that understood he was dancing with another man's girlfriend with him only a dozen feet away and that what they were doing verged on grossly inappropriate. But there was also a part – a much larger part, and one very much in the driving seat – that was going _this is Annie, and you may never get to do this again_ and demanding he memorise the softness and warmth of her, the scent of her perfume, the limitless blue of her eyes and the way the corners of her lips were turned up _just so._

XXXXXX

 _It's the heart afraid of breaking  
_ _That never learns to dance.  
_ _It's the dream afraid of waking  
_ _That never takes the chance._

Annie's thoughts were, if anything, even less coherent than Jeff's, but she was also thinking that Jeff would be flying back to Colorado the next day and no one could tell when she'd ever get the chance to dance like this again. She simply couldn't bring herself to discard the opportunity.

 _It's the one who won't be taken  
_ _Who cannot seem to give.  
_ _And the soul, afraid of dyin'  
_ _That never learns to live._

Annie had a brief but bitter moment of regret at the thought that, if it wasn't for Jeff's personal issues and hang-ups, they could have had many more moments like this, and much sooner. But then she looked into his eyes, saw the soft, sad smile there and realised he was thinking the same thing and then all she could think of was the heat of his hand holding hers and the burning sensation where his other hand was brushing the bare skin in the small of her back.

XXXXXX

 _When the night has been too lonely  
_ _And the road has been too long,  
_ _And you think that love is only  
_ _For the lucky and the strong._

Jeff saw the sudden flush on Annie's face and realised what had probably caused it. But as his choices basically boiled down to moving his hand down so it was completely resting on fabric or lifting it up so it was completely resting on bare skin – and as the former would mean basically cupping her ass and the latter pulling her into full body contact – he smiled apologetically and left it where it was.

XXXXXX

 _Just remember in the winter  
_ _Far beneath the bitter snows,  
_ _Lies the seed that with the sun's love  
_ _In the spring becomes the rose._

"Annie, we need to talk." The spell was broken as Paul walked up, his face pale with fury. "In private, _right now_." She squeaked slightly as he grabbed her arm and proceeded to basically drag her towards the door.

"What the hell was that all about?" Jeff gasped.

"Do you have any idea at all of the way you two were dancing?" Britta was glaring at him.

XXXXXX

"What the hell, Paul?" Annie finally managed to snap out after he let go of her once they were in the corridor outside the party room.

"How long have you two been sleeping together?" He snapped.

" _WHAT?_ You've gone crazy! I've only seen Jeff once in the last five years – when were we supposed to be sleeping together?"

"Then tell me this, Annie – who is the girl with flowers in her hair?" Paul noticed with a certain bitter satisfaction how Annie went as white as a sheet and her voice seemed to fail her.

"Oh, yes – I know all about your little tryst at the end of August. It all makes sense now – the flowers that appeared from nowhere, why you were so quiet for most of the next day, and why you refused to come to bed that night – it was because you'd slept with him, wasn't it?"

"What? No! It was nothing like that, I swear!"

"You mean like five minutes ago you would have sworn that you had only seen him once this year? You lied to me, Annie! You went behind my back and slept with another man - and not only did you think you could keep it a secret but you brought him to a party with my family!" Paul's expression was pale with rage, Annie's pale with shock. She took a step back as though slapped.

"Look Paul, I'm sorry I didn't say anything but nothing happened! I knew Jeff was in DC because of his facebook posts and I had a free afternoon so we met up for lunch and a walk in the Mall. That's all it was, I promise! It would have been so easy to arrange a hook-up - I really doubt Jeff would have said no if I'd asked him - but we didn't, I wouldn't do that to you!"

"Really, Annie?" Paul's expression was hostile, disbelieving. "If it was so innocent then why the secrecy?"

"Because I didn't want to deal with your damn jealousy, like now!" Annie was getting angry herself, now.

"Oh, and why would I be feeling jealous, Annie? It couldn't possibly be because you're arranging secret meetings with a guy you spent six months describing as a clapped out old has been but who actually looks like a damn movie star and who you've just spent ten minutes dancing with as though you're the only two people left in the world, _could it_?"

"Paul, please -"

But Paul was not willing to listen just yet. "And it's him you've spent most of your time messaging with, not Britta, isn't it?" There was a barely audible sob as Annie nodded, once.

Paul sighed. His anger was starting to give way to exhaustion, but there was still something he had to know. "What really happened that first time you saw him Annie?"

"We had a few drinks and talked -"

" _Really,_ Annie?" Paul's tone was viciously sarcastic again. "You still think you can get away with lying to me? That was the first time you slept with him, wasn't it? And the reason why you were so keen to meet him again was because you wanted to do it again, wasn't it?" In truth he was heading into uncertain territory now, outside of the facts he'd managed to glean so far, but he was sufficiently angry he didn't care.

Annie looked up, her face a mixture of pain, regret and increasingly outrage. "You want to know what happened Paul? What really happened?" Paul took a step back as Annie confronted him.

"We kissed, Paul. Kissed! And do you want to know the really scary thing?" It was Annie's turn to be outraged now. "It was a great kiss - an _amazing_ kiss, the best one I've had for years!" And now it was Paul's turn to look as if he'd been slapped. But Annie's rage faded as fast as it rose. "It would have been the easiest thing in the world to ask him to come back to my hotel room afterwards, but I didn't - I ran away from him and back to you. Doesn't that mean anything?"

"It might have if you'd told me. It might have If you hadn't run to see him at the next available opportunity." He no longer sounded angry, just tired and disillusioned.

Annie sighed. "Where does all this leave us?"

Paul sounded inexpressibly weary. "I want to believe you Annie, I really do, I want to believe this is something you can stop as easily as it started. But I've got to ask you something first, and how you answer will determine if there's any possibility of a future for us." She took a deep breath and nodded.

"Paul -"

"Shut up. I haven't finished." He said harshly. Annie's eyes widened in shocked surprise.

"Answer me this, can you tell me that if he was here instead of Colorado it wouldn't change anything between us, that you'd still be with me? Can you look me in the eye and tell me with complete honesty that you are in love with me, and nobody else?"

Annie looked him in the eye, tried to open her mouth, and closed it again. She tried again, with the same result. She turned away. "I'm sorry Paul, but it's more complicated than that."

Paul sighed and shook his head. "There's nothing complicated about it Annie. I'm going to go back into that room and tell our guests that the party is over. Then I'll leave with my brother and spend the night at his place, I won't be back at the house until tomorrow evening - you have until then to clear your stuff out. Please leave your key on the kitchen counter when you leave."

"Paul, please -"

But he'd turned his back and was already going through the door.


	11. Chapter 11 - Partings

_Happy birthday, Annie._

It had been a long time since Annie had felt like breaking down in tears, but she felt like it now – she was sitting on a chair in the corridor outside the function room hosting the collapsing remains of her birthday party trying not to catch the eyes of the people who were leaving and who were trying equally hard not to catch hers. _I've been dumped, I'm homeless and it's a week until Christmas. Even by my standards this is a pretty crappy deal._ She had a vague idea of asking Britta if she could crash in her hotel room for the night, but other than that she was out of ideas – she didn't even have her car, as Paul had driven her so she could drink at her birthday party.

"Hey, is this seat taken?"

Annie looked up with surprise. Britta was standing there with a sad smile on her face and holding a bottle, Shirley was coming up behind her with her best 'concerned mom' face on.

"Oh I'm sorry," Annie said. Her shoes were on the chair next to her – her feet had suddenly decided to protest after spending something like five hours standing in ridiculous heels – so she picked them up and swept the seat with her hand. "Are you guys sure you don't mind sitting next to the outcast?"

"Don't do that to yourself, Annie." Britta said mildly as she sat down. Shirley just snorted as she sat down on Annie's other side.

"Here," Britta said as she passed over the bottle. Annie saw it was a still mostly full bottle of red wine. "I stole it," Britta added cheerfully. "You may want to drink up before somebody notices."

Annie half smiled, but brought the neck of the bottle to her mouth and took a big pull. "Thanks." She passed it on to Shirley, who shook her head.

"I'm driving my two boys, miss." Annie smiled an apology and passed the bottle back the other way.

Britta took a gulp. "So, we heard." She said. "You guys were kinda loud for a bit there."

"Oh god…" Annie's face went into her hands. "I'm so –"

"Then Paul came back." Britta took another slug of wine. "And announced what happened. Then Jeff went for him."

" _What?"_ Annie looked up in shock.

"Paul announced you guys had broken up and the party was over. When somebody asked why and Paul said it was because you were cheating on him, Jeff went berserk. If your friend Atal hadn't got between them for long enough for Shirley and Abed to drag him into the room behind the bar there would have been blood on the carpet." Britta sounded positively cheerful at that.

"It wasn't easy," Shirley said almost fondly. "He's a big boy and he was _craaaazy_."

 _Oh, Jeff._ Annie thought. "How is he?" She said, reaching for the bottle again. Britta let her have it.

"A mess." Britta said bluntly. "He kept babbling nothing had happened, you wouldn't have allowed it, anybody who knows you would know that, and so on. Funnily enough, I think that's what convinced Shirley you guys were mostly innocent – he never once denied he could do it, but he was going crazy at the thought people would think that of you." Britta looked over to Shirley for confirmation.

"Uh hmm," Shirley said in her sing song voice. "I'm not saying everything you two have been doing was right and proper, but that boy was the wrong sort of angry for somebody who had been caught cheating. Trust me, I know what that looks like." Her voice turned grim towards the end.

Annie took another swig from the now rapidly emptying wine bottle and sighed sadly.

"What about you, Britta?"

Britta reached over, took her friend's hand and squeezed it.

"Hey – I'm here aren't I?"

That seemed to be the last straw for Annie. She buried her head in her hands and let the tears out – great, silent heaving sobs. Not knowing what else to do, Britta patted Annie on the shoulder to let her know she was still there while Shirley grabbed hold of one of her hands and held it in hers.

"He's my Blade, isn't he?" She said through her tears, not meeting anyone's eyes. "I always thought I was too strong and in control to fall into that trap, that I could keep us as just good friends. But we're not, we can't be – tonight has made that clear, if nothing else."

"No." Britta said, surprisingly. "I don't believe I'm going to say this about Jeff Winger, but if he was a Blade he would have used you until he got bored and discarded you years ago. Blades don't care about you as a person, they care about what they can get from you. Think about my Blade."

Shirley sighed as well. "I learned that lesson with Andre," she said. "I gave that man the best years of my life and three wonderful boys, and he just took everything and tried to leave me with nothing. The Lord knows I don't approve of the way Jeffrey sometimes behaves around women, but I do know he'd never do that to you."

Britta's took the wine bottle back and had another sip as she nodded in agreement with what Shirley was saying. "Jeff really does care about you, Annie – he cares about you so much that he's afraid to touch you in case he breaks you. He's never been like that with anybody else. He was never like that with me." Britta said the last sentence so quietly Annie almost missed it.

"Oh I'm so sorry, Britta –"

"Ancient history." Britta had sat up straight and taken another swig from the bottle. "So you see, he can't be your Blade – or at least if he is, then you're his Blade just as much." Britta went thoughtful for a moment. "Or whatever the girl equivalent is, anyway."

Annie looked sharply at Britta at that. She knew Jeff liked her of course, but that much? No. Surely not – the idea she was his Blade, that she could be _anybody's_ Blade, was ridiculous. Wasn't it? She took the bottle back from Britta and took another sip to distract her thoughts.

"You've got to talk with him Annie," Shirley added softly. "Until you two either get together or separate properly, this is just going to keep happening - you'll meet somebody, convince yourself you're happy for a while, then something will happen to remind you you're not with him and something like tonight will happen."

Annie looked appalled. "I can't talk to him just now - I just can't! Not about this."

Shirley looked disapproving. "That's a mistake, Annie - it's because you two don't talk about important things that you're in the mess you are."

Britta passed the bottle back to Annie. "I will talk I promise, just not now." Annie said as she took another sip of wine.

"Nothing to see here – move on," Britta growled at stragglers from the party who had stopped to stare.

Annie used the distraction to pull herself together a bit. "Crap, crap, crap! My life is such a disaster!" She panted out.

"Oh, whoop-de-frackin'-do, sister!" Britta snarked, Annie's eyes widened as she stared in surprise as Britta continued. "If you want to know what a disaster looks like, look here –" she pointed at herself "– I'm a forty year old single mother, I'm working three jobs to make ends meet, I'm in a relationship with _Ian Duncan_ and my best friend in the world is Captain Hairgel! And if you tell Jeff I said that, I'll kill you –"

"What, Captain Hairgel?" Annie had been shocked out of her misery for a moment.

Britta smiled. "No, the 'best friend' bit. You can call him the other thing as much as you like." Annie smiled back, somewhat shakily. "And do you know what the worst thing is?" Annie shook her head, Britta took back the bottle, drank and continued. "One of my closest female friends in the world, the girl who was like a sister to me throughout my college years, is an FBI special agent! Do you have _any_ idea what that does to my radical credentials? The least you could have done is put me on a watch list or something."

Annie actually snorted with laughter at that. "Sorry, Britta. I'll see what I can do." She said.

"It's okay." Britta smiled. "And yet my life's still better now that it has been for years."

Shirley snorted disapprovingly as she often did at Britta's somewhat casual attitude to law and order. "But you, missy –" Shirley jabbed Annie in the arm with a finger to make her point – "you're young, strong, beautiful – "

"Which shouldn't matter as much as it does in this sexist, patriarchal world." Britta grumbled in the background.

Shirley ignored her and carried on talking. " – you're doing a job you enjoy which you're good at and pays well and you have friends who will travel across a continent to say happy birthday, even after five years without contact. There are literally millions of women in this world who would swap places with you in a heartbeat." She patted Annie's arm consolingly.

"So you had a bad break up," Britta said, then took another swig from the now almost empty wine bottle and resumed talking. "Face up to it, and move on. It happens to us all at some point, it's the price of being a woman in a man's world – learn from it, and remember this – you are Annie Edison, and _you will be fine._ There isn't a man in the world who deserves so much as a single tear for treating you like that." Shirley uh-hmmed and nodded vigorously in agreement.

Annie sat up straight, and nodded. "Thanks, Britta – Jeff was right about one thing. You really have gotten good at this since giving up pot."

Britta smiled. "Yeah, he says that a lot – usually accompanied with a demand to start smoking again."

"I don't think you should," Annie smiled back. "I think I prefer this Britta."

"Me too," Britta stood up. "Group hug?"

She held her arms out, the other two closed in for a long hug. "Thanks guys," Annie said softly. "I needed this."

"What do you want us to do now?" Britta said as they separated. "You know we'll all reschedule our return tickets to support you, right?"

Annie shook her head. "No, Britta - that'll be way too expensive. I'll be alright." She had a shaky smile on her face. "if you could just let me sleep in your room tonight I'll be okay."

Before Britta could answer, another voice spoke up.

"You're coming home with us tonight, Annie. No arguments." Atal said firmly. His wife, Harpreet, was standing by his side holding their sleeping boy and nodding along. "Tomorrow we'll take you to Paul's house to collect your things and then we're taking you to my cousin Shakti's - I've spoken to her and she's agreed to let you have her spare room until you're on your feet again."

Annie looked like she might argue for a moment. Instead, she just smiled sadly. "You didn't have to do that, but thanks."

"I'll be there with my boys first thing as well," Shirley said. "We're helping you move and you're not allowed to say anything other than thank you, Shirley."

"Thank you, Shirley." Annie smiled tearfully.

Annie went back into the now almost empty party room. The first thing she noticed was the pile of presents on the table by the door was much smaller than it had been – _I'll know who my real friends are when I go through that lot and find out who didn't take their presents back, s_ he thought sourly. The second thing she noticed was the small group sitting at a table by the bar – Abed, Shirley's boys, and Jeff cradling a sleeping Taylor. Annie suspected Britta or Shirley had passed the little girl to him to distract him and force him to calm down.

They all stood up as she approached. Abed's face was as expressionless as always, and Jeff's – but she couldn't bring herself to look at Jeff. She tried to smile at them both, but her look was more tearful than anything.

"Thanks for coming guys – I really mean it. I'm just sorry about the way things ended – I've got to go now, Atal's letting me stay at his place –" she pointed to her partner, who was gathering up the birthday presents "- and they need to leave. Let's do it again, but with a better ending, okay?" She rushed forward and hugged Abed, sobbing a goodbye into his shirt.

"This is just an end of season cliffhanger Annie," he said. "You'll be fine when your show restarts in the New Year."

Britta and Shirley, who had both followed Annie in, stepped in for a firm hug and a final round of "you will be alright, you do know that?" Britta took Taylor back from Jeff and then, as if by unspoken agreement, the others retreated to the door were Atal and his family were waiting, leaving Jeff and Annie alone.

"Annie, I'm so –" he tried to choke out.

"Don't, Jeff." Annie interrupted, she was still unable to look him in the eye. "I can't talk about this right now, I just can't. I'll talk to you when I know what I want, but until then I need my space. I'm sorry." She turned her back and started to walk. Or at least she tried to, but she only got a couple of paces before the pain overwhelmed her and she broke down in tears. Then she felt a pair of strong hands take her shoulders and gently turn her around and arms envelop her as she was pulled into his chest.

He held her silently until she cried herself out and then released her with a soft "take as much time as you need, Annie. I'll wait as long as you want."

This time, she did manage to look him in the eyes as she nodded. "Goodbye Jeff." She turned and walked through the door past the others. Jeff watched her go.

XXXXXX

Annie was thankful that the next day at least was too busy to dwell on regrets. It started just after breakfast when she was nursing a strong cup of coffee to try and recover from an almost sleepless night.

Shirley turned up as promised with her boys and entered the house somewhat nervously, constantly looking around her and looking as though she was fighting the urge to clutch the cross displayed around her neck. "Are you looking for something, Mrs Bennett?" Atal said.

"Oh no," Shirley said in her best passive aggressive voice. "I was just wondering where the elephant man was." Atal exchanged a glance with Harpreet, who had emerged from the kitchen with a coffee pot and several mugs and proceeded to hand them out, she tilted her head slightly so Shirley couldn't see her face and smiled at him.

"Ganesha is a Hindu god Mrs Bennett," he said with careful patience. "Sikhs are monotheists, we worship the one true God."

"Oh that's niiiice," Shirley suddenly looked much happier. "What about -"

"We respect Jesus very much as a great man and a wise teacher," Atal said with the tone of someone repeating a line he'd used many times before, "but we don't believe he was literally the son of God, no."

"Well… that's something, I suppose."

Annie was listening with an almost nostalgic fondness as she remembered many similar conversations in the past and reflected that Shirley had lost none of her ability to passive-aggressively judge others and find them wanting.

"Is she really your friend?" Atal asked later as they were driving to Paul's house with Shirley and her boys following in her car.

"Oh, that was nothing." Annie smiled at a memory. "One time back at Greendale she invited me to a pool party that turned out to be a baptism."

"You're joking!"

"Eyes on the road!" Annie squealed before continuing. "I'm not, actually. But you should remember that, as well as Shirley, our group of friends included a Buddhist, a Jehovah's Witness, a Muslim, an atheist, an agnostic and a Jew. Yes, she made no secret of her belief that we were probably all hellbound as a result of our beliefs or lack of, but she loved - loves - us all like a mother. In fact," Annie seemed to be on the verge of tears again as other memories came back, "she's been a better mother to some of us than our actual mothers were."

"I'm sorry, Annie."

"It's okay. It's difficult for people outside our group to understand the dynamic we have sometimes - heck, it's difficult for _us_ to understand it sometimes. We can be pretty weird." She smiled wryly at her partner.

It was only a short drive to Paul's house and when they got there Annie was relieved to see that only her car was parked outside. _It looked like he's kept his promise to stay away then,_ she thought with a strange mixture of relief and sadness. She cautiously announced her arrival as she walked through the door anyway, to be greeted by silence.

"What are you carrying, Shirley?" Annie had just noticed her friend was actually bringing things into the house. Shirley looked defensive and refused to answer. Annie went over to her and poked through the things she was carrying. "Paint, eggs - _shrimp?_ Shirley, what are you doing?"

Shirley grabbed back the shrimp. "You unscrew the end of a curtain rail, slide a handful of these inside and screw the end back on. As they go bad they will stink his house out and he'll never work out where the smell's coming from." She had a defiant look on her face. "That boy is going to pay for messing about with my girl!"

Annie knew she should be appalled, but instead her face practically melted with happiness. "Aaaaawww, Shirley, that's so sweet of you!" She gave the other woman a hug. "But put them away please? I want to take the high road here - we'll leave this place tidier than it was when we arrived."

"Not even one curtain rail?"

"Sorry Shirley."

With five pairs of hands and three cars, emptying the house of Annie's possessions was a relatively quick job, with no need for a return trip. As requested, Annie left the house key on the kitchen counter and, after thinking for a moment, pulled out a notepad and wrote a short message on it. Then she turned around, had one last check to see that nothing had been overlooked, and left the house and got in her car. Atal led the way to his cousin's apartment, where Annie was welcomed with a hug and shown where she could store her things. Only then did Shirley allow her to say goodbye with a final hug and she was on her own again.

XXXXXX

(That evening)

Paul Randall returned home at sunset. He had a quick look around, but there was nothing left of Annie and nor was there was any sign of the petty vandalism his brothers and friends had warned him to expect. Last of all, he looked in the kitchen and saw the key and the note. He picked it up.

 _Paul,_

 _I am so sorry for the way things ended. I hope a time will come when you are able to think of me again without anger and hatred and remember that we were happy once. I really do wish you well in everything you do._

 _Best wishes, Annie._

Almost of it's own volition, Paul's hand reached into the pocket of the jacket he had worn the night before and closed round a small box. He pulled it out and flipped it open and looked at the contents – a gold ring with a nest of diamonds surrounding an amethyst. _Purple is her favorite colour,_ he had told the jeweller. He sighed, closed the box again and tried to remember where he'd put the receipt.


	12. Chapter 12 - A Christmas Carol

(Christmas morning, Shakti Kaur's apartment)

Annie had responded to the collapse of her relationship with Paul by cancelling the holiday time she'd booked over Christmas and working non-stop on reviewing the evidence of the case that still seemed no closer to being resolved than it had in August. It was either that or analyse the confusing mess her life had become and that was the road to despair, she didn't want to think about what she could possibly say to Jeff - _we never did anything wrong! At least if we had, maybe I would have something other than pain to think about. It's not fair! -_ though not thinking only bought the thoughts out stronger. So, instead of spending time on what she couldn't control she did what she did best and focussed on what she could, and threw herself into her work. She knew she had to face the situation some day, but not facing it looked very attractive at the moment.

"Annie?" Her new flatmate was trying to catch her eye.

 _She looks stunning,_ Annie thought with a certain distracted envy. She hadn't spent much time socialising with Atal's cousin but she'd got the impression of a lively, thoroughly westernised girl who enjoyed jeans, tight t-shirts and partying. Today however she was dressed traditionally, in a green and gold Salwar Kameez with the only concessions to western style being a pair of silver high-heeled sandals.

"Are you going out anywhere?" Annie asked.

"Yes, and you're coming." The younger woman replied.

" _What?"_

"My grandparents are hosting a family gathering, and Atal made it very clear it would be unacceptable for me to arrive without you in tow. He also said I wasn't allowed to give you enough warning to come up with an excuse."

"I'm sorry, but I'm -"

Shakti didn't let her finish. "And Atal also said that if you tried the 'I'm Jewish, I don't celebrate Christmas' line, you were to be told to remember who exactly is inviting you."

Annie had indeed been about to say that - it had always worked before when she wanted to be alone over the holiday, after all - so she suddenly found herself reduced to silence. Shakti didn't seem to notice as she carried on talking.

"It's simply a day when most stores and workplaces are closed for us, and so a good day to have a family get together," she finished.

Annie looked at the pile of notes she'd been resigned to spending the day reading. She sighed, and put them back in her briefcase.

"Let me get changed."

"You've got twenty minutes, then I'm dragging you to the car even if you're still in your underwear."

 _That'd make me the topic of conversation. Again._ Annie thought wryly as she went to her room.

XXXXXX

(Christmas Morning, Jeff Winger's apartment)

The banging on the door was even louder than the banging in Jeff's head. Ever since he'd got back from Norfolk he'd fallen into an increasingly self-destructive pattern - he would go over the events of the party in his head, and find himself swinging wildly between imagining that Annie accepting his hug as she cried herself out and promising to talk meant they were going to be okay, and imagining that the way she said goodbye and walked out the room meant that she had finally decided to cut him out of her life altogether. Eventually the thoughts would get too dark and he would attempt to drown them in Scotch. As day followed day and he heard nothing, the positive thoughts got shorter and weaker and the negative ones longer and stronger, and the Scotch consumption heavier and heavier until, on Christmas Eve, he'd gone on a truly vicious bender and passed out on his couch, never making it to bed.

"Open up Winger, I know you're in there!"

 _Britta? What the hell? It's -_ he checked his phone - _11AM?_ He groaned and peeled himself off the couch and shambled over to the door.

"What are you doing here, Britta?"

"You're supposed to be spending Christmas with us, Jeff. Remember? You were supposed to be at my place an hour ago!"

Jeff vaguely remembered discussing plans on the last day of Fall semester and a couple of times since, and accepting to give him an excuse not to trek over to his mother's place, but he really was not in the mood for company.

"Britta, the last thing I want right now is a vegetarian, atheist Christmas -"

"Fine, Jeff." Britta snapped back. "But on one condition." Jeff stared at his blonde friend with hungover cynicism. "You tell Taylor why her uncle Jeff doesn't want to spend Christmas with her."

"It's got nothing to do with -" Jeff attempted to answer, but stopped as Britta ushered Taylor into view from where she was hiding behind her mother's legs, looking adorable in a child's Christmas Elf dress, but apparently with tears on the verge of sprouting out of her bright blue eyes as she listened to the conversation.

Jeff attempted to open his mouth, but stopped. "This is unfair, Britta." He eventually said. She just grinned at him.

"Fine." Jeff snapped back. "Give me twenty minutes to shower and get changed."

"Yay!" Taylor was bouncing with happiness.

XXXXXX

Annie felt overwhelmed by the chaos in Atal's grandparent's house - he had taken her off Shakti's hands shortly after they'd arrived and shown her around, but there must have been at least thirty people there in what was not an exceptionally large house. She had tried to remember as many names as possible, but even her attention to detail could not keep up with the barrage of information and she had sought refuge in a side room where the children were being entertained watching Christmas movies, Annie settled down to watch Shrek for the umpty-ninth time, it still brought a smile to her face.

"Ah, thought I saw you come in here!" Shakti slumped against the wall next to Annie with a weary smile.

Annie smiled back. "You seem stressed."

"It was my turn to talk to Dadi ji - grandmother," she added when she remembered who she was talking to. Annie remembered being introduced to a tiny, round lady in at least her seventies marshalling a swarm of daughters-in-law with terrifying efficiency around the kitchen and producing some amazing smells in the process. "And it was exactly the same as every other conversation we've had. Oh Shakti -" the other girl was now putting on the shaky voice of an old woman "- you're looking so beautiful today! How is work? Still not married? My friend's grandson is still single you know!"

"But you're only - what - twenty-five?" Annie said.

"Exactly! When grandmother was my age she was already married and pregnant with her second child. As she is always reminding me."

Annie smiled. "Jewish grandmothers are similar."

"See! I knew you'd understand." The other girl smiled back."Family, hey? They drive you nuts but you can't do without them."

"Yeah, family." Annie said thoughtfully as her new friend relaxed and started watching the film. The mention of family reminded Annie of something she'd almost forgotten to do and she took out her phone and began typing a text.

 _To: [Friends, All]  
_ _Message: Merry Christmas everyone! Love, Annie._

XXXXXX

Jeff was sitting in Britta's car as it pulled up to Duncan's house when his phone vibrated. The initial surge of hope when he saw who it was from dissipated when he realised it was a group message, but he took what consolation he could from the thought that at least she hadn't deleted him from her friends list. _She can hardly object to me replying in the same vein._ He thought.

 _Reply: All  
_ _Message: And to you too Annie, and to everyone! Love, Jeff._

"Winger, so glad you could make it! I was practically drowning in oestrogen here without another man to share the burden!" The door to the house had been flung open and Ian Duncan had walked out.

"That was uncalled for." Craig sniffed as he followed him out.

"Bollocks." Said Duncan cheerfully. "That objection would be more compelling if you weren't wearing a Mrs Santa minidress."

"It was all the store had left," Craig sniffed. "And I couldn't wear trousers over this cast anyway." He pointed at his broken leg.

Jeff said his hellos, expertly dodged Craig's attempt to hug one armed, then caught him as his crutch slipped and he lost balance and ended up holding him anyway.

"Thank you Jeffrey - you're _so_ strong." Craig was flushing.

Jeff dismissed his attempts to hold on and stepped inside the house. "When did you get back?" He asked Duncan.

"Day before yesterday. My dear mother was lying about being at death's door - as soon as the doctor said she was good for another six months I hopped a flight back here."

"That… sucks?" Jeff honestly had no idea what the appropriate response was.

"Cheers old boy. Drinky? Damn shame about l'affaire Edison, By the way."

"Make it a large scotch, neat." Jeff said.

XXXXXX

Jeff hadn't wanted to do Christmas. All he had wanted to do was sleep off the previous night's hangover before working up sufficient self pity and regret to start working on the next one. Instead he found himself eating his fill of Britta's vegetarian Christmas dinner (which, he reluctantly admitted, was actually edible), playing silly games with Taylor - she was still only four but already had a knack of making him do what she wanted that was second only to Annie at the height of her powers, a fact which Britta was not above abusing - and watching stuff on TV which he would never have dreamed of watching otherwise.

("What's that flag and why is a band playing 'My country 'tis of thee'?" He'd asked after Duncan had synced his tablet and hit play.

"It's the Royal Standard and 'God Save the Queen' you ignorant colonial." Duncan's accent had somehow got even more British. "Watch in awe as you learn how Christmas is observed in civilised realms. Hey!" He was being pelted with balls of screwed up wrapping paper before he even finished talking.)

XXXXXX

It was the end of the day, Taylor had long since gone to bed and Craig had offered to give Jeff a ride home.

"Thanks, Britta. This was actually not awful."

"And you weren't quite as much a jerkass as usual," she smiled back at him. Then she went serious. "Just be patient okay, Jeff? She will get in touch when she's ready - just don't climb into a pit and pull it in after you while you're waiting."

Jeff smiled wanly. "We've known each other far too long, Britta - you're starting to read my mind."

"Well it's not as if that's particularly difficult - 'Scotch! Boobs! Designer clothes! More Scotch!' Covers at least ninety percent of it." Jeff rolled his eyes at her.

"Happy non-religious mid-winter festival, Britta." Jeff said as he hugged his friend.

"Merry Christmas, Jeff." Britta said as she hugged him back. Jeff walked over to where Craig was waiting by his small car and waved one last time before climbing in.

XXXXXX

"Come on, let's get you home." Shakti was gently shaking Annie awake from where she'd fallen asleep in an armchair in front of the TV. She was mortified when she checked her watch and realised she'd slept for at least four hours.

"I'm so sorry! I've been a dreadful guest, and after everyone was so friendly - " She had eaten her fill at mealtime - more than that to be honest but Shakti's family had laid on a full-on Punjabi banquet and wouldn't hear of moderation - and then retired for what she had meant to be just a short rest.

"Don't be silly." Shakti replied. "We all know you've had a bad time of it recently and Atal said you'd been working far too hard and needed to rest, we were just happy to help."

The two of them went through a hectic whirl of goodbyes as they made their way to the door. Shakti's grandparents wouldn't hear a word of Annie's apologies, insisting that as far as they were concerned their grandson's partner was part of the family and demanding a big hug each before letting her go. Shakti hugged them too and then the two young women were finally on their way.

"You look sad, Annie." Shakti observed while driving the two of them back.

Annie sighed. "I haven't seen my mother for twelve years, my father for even longer and I speak to my brother perhaps twice a year. Days like today remind me that families don't have to be like that, that's all. It's nice, but…" She trailed off without finishing.

"My friends are more like family than my actual family are, most of the time." She added after a moment's silence. As if prompted by this thought, she fished out her phone and looked at her messages. She stopped at the one from Jeff, which had been the first reply she'd received.

 _I will speak to you I promise, but not when I'm hurting so much. We've spent too much time hurting each other, I'll get in touch when I think it's safe to be happy._

She sighed, and put the phone away.


	13. Chapter 13 - New Year Resolutions

"Aaargh!" It was a couple of days after New Year's Day, and Shakti was not happy. She marched into the apartment, slammed the door shut, kicked her heels off and threw her purse into the corner of the room.

Annie looked up from the file she was reading. "Bad date?"

"The worst!"

Annie aaawed in sympathy as she put the file down. "What was wrong with him?"

Shakti threw herself down on the sofa next to Annie. "Nothing! He was perfect! He was good looking, polite, funny and seemed to be genuinely happy to be with me. The bastard!"

Annie looked baffled. "I'm not seeing the problem…"

"I only agreed to go out with him this once to shut my grandmother up! Now I can't see him again or she'll be all 'Oh Shakti, you should listen to your Dadi Ji, she knows what's she's talking about'!"

"Is that a good enough reason not to see a really good guy, Shakti?"

The other woman smiled shyly. "He _was_ rather nice…"

XXXXXX

Jeff found himself wondering if his friends had entered into some sort of conspiracy to ensure he had as little time as possible to himself. The day after Christmas Shirley had called him, apologised for being too busy to talk on Christmas Day, and spent almost two hours chatting. That same evening Duncan had breezed by, complained about all the vegetarian food Britta was making him eat ("any more of this and I'll start photosynthesising, old boy") and demanded Jeff accompanied him to a steak house. The following day, Craig begged Jeff to take him to hospital, citing problems with his cast. Then Frankie called him, asking for him to talk her through a contract she'd been asked to sign. Mel Callaghan turned up on New Year's Eve, insisting on dragging him out to a bar, and so on.

 _They think they can stop me thinking about Annie,_ Jeff thought. _They think that if they can keep me busy I won't notice it's been almost two weeks since I heard anything more than group emails on Christmas and New Year's Day._

"What's going on, Britta?" He'd said three days after New Year when the two of them, Taylor and Craig had gone to a coffee bar after watching the latest Disney blockbuster (Duncan had laughed sarcastically at the idea of seeing a Disney movie), where what had doubtless started as some grim north European legend had turned into a musical about a wizard, a girl made out of flowers and the hero striving to win her love, with the usual quota of singing animals, cartoonish violence and merchandising. Taylor (and Craig) had loved it.

"I've no idea what you're talking about, Jeff." Britta's expression was far too innocent to be honest as she pretended to watch Taylor draw flowers on Craig's cast.

"I haven't had more than half a day to myself since Christmas." Jeff replied. "Somebody always turns up with some bright idea to annoy me and waste my time."

"You can look at it that way if you want, Jeff." Britta said grimly. "Or you can look at it as having friends who care enough about you that they're not prepared to allow you to drink yourself to death instead of pulling yourself together. I _saw_ you on Christmas morning, remember? You haven't been that bad for years."

 _Since the last time she disappeared from my life._ He thought to himself. _She's probably decided there's no place for me in her life anymore - after all, she's gone out into the world and is changing it for the better while I stay behind, clinging to the Greendale safety blanket. It's not as if reconnecting has given her anything other than grief or pain, after all._ _Imisshersomuch…_

"Thanks, Britta." He said instead.

XXXXXX

"…He only tried to ask you out, Annie." Atal was the first one to break the shocked silence that had fallen across the open plan floorplate shared with a dozen other officers.

Annie was still shaking with the rage that had overcome her when Jack from the Corporate Fraud desk had come over and parked himself next to her desk with a slightly too large smile on his face. The smile had soon disappeared as Annie had told him in no uncertain terms just what she thought of his chat up lines and he'd fled with his ears ringing. Her head whipped around to face her partner, still with a wild expression in her eyes. She did however manage to bite down her first reply and reply calmly.

"Just because I'm single again doesn't mean I'm desperate. I've got important work to do, I don't need to be distracted by players thinking I'm a soft touch." _Jack isn't that sort of guy. He's a nice guy who spends too much time with spreadsheets who has been helping us to run the financials for months and has probably been working up the nerve to ask me out for weeks._ A small voice at the back of Annie's mind said _._ She could tell by the expression on her partner's face that Atal was probably thinking something similar.

"He's not like that Annie," he said, confirming her thoughts. "And besides, we need him to run the financial analysis."

Annie sighed. "I'll apologise for losing my temper later – but I'm not apologising for not wanting to go on a date. I wish guys would get the message that I'm not looking to date anyone yet."

"If it wasn't clear before, it is now." Her partner said dryly. "Have you talked to your friend in Colorado yet?" He added in a softer tone of voice.

 _What could I possibly say to him?_ She thought to herself. _I'm sorry? I was so pleased to find you still liked (wanted?) me that I took your friendship (your love?) and twisted it into something small and selfish? I was so fixated on thinking I could have everything that I ended up with nothing? You've done a good enough job of fixing your own life that you don't deserve to be sucked back into the dysfunctional mess of mine?_ _Imissyousomuch…_

"I've just been too busy." She said out loud, cringing inwards at how pathetic the answer was.

Atal sighed inwardly, but recognised the attempt to avoid personal topics. "What was it you were about to say before we were interrupted?"

"I may have something," She said. "There's a GS-7 in the base commander's office who's been spending above his pay grade. New car, diving holiday in the Bahamas, that sort of thing, with no obvious source of additional income."

"Rich parents?"

"No – if anything, it's the other way round. He seems to be helping them with their mortgage payments."

"State lottery?"

"Not on the official list of winners."

"Access?"

"His section is one of the ones the NCIS report identified as having access to all the known leaks."

Atal asked a few more questions then swore under his breath. "It sounds like we need to go to the Director for an arrest warrant." He said. "This is really good work, Annie."

XXXXXX

"So what went wrong?" Captain Austin – who had come down from DC on being told of the arrest – sounded as tired as anyone on the inter-agency task force. "Special Agent, why don't you recap what we have so far?"

 _It's either a very good sign or a very bad one when Meg addresses me by rank,_ Annie thought. Before launching into a summary of the past week – the arrest of the suspect, a 30 year old office worker called Brian Grady, getting him to confess to passing on information for payment to his new girlfriend (who claimed to be a journalist working for a website monitoring government waste), cutting a deal with him whereby he agreed to meet her in exchange for a reduced sentence, only for her not to turn up to the coffee shop rendezvous that Annie and a dozen others from the task force staked out.

"Except I think she did turn up." Annie said.

"Explain?" Captain Austin had a _this had better be very good indeed_ tone to her voice.

Annie put up two pictures on the view screen. "These are stills from our surveillance camera," she said. "You'll see that in the first one he's holding his coffee in his left hand, in the second he's holding it in his right." She paused for effect. "He held it left handed for the first twenty minutes, then switched to the right hand for the next hour and a half. "Grady is right handed – I think he was signalling his contact that he had been compromised and switched back to his usual hand after she was clear."

"Damn." Captain Austin hissed.

"My partner and a team of FBI agents are examining all the available footage to identify a most likely suspect," Annie said. "They're also gathering in all security camera footage for a three block radius and have contacted local police for dashboard cam footage of the area."

"Good work," the older woman said. "Keep me informed of progress." The meeting went on for another hour, but covered little fresh ground.

XXXXXX

It was a couple of days later, and Atal was presenting the results of intense analysis of the survey footage. He started out with a full length picture. "She wore a baggy jacket with the hood pulled over her face, loose trousers and basketball shoes," he said. "Her height is approximately five feet eight inches and her weight 100-120 pounds."

The picture started to zoom in on her face as Atal continued speaking. "Because of the hood, we never got a clear view of her face. However, combining the results of our own surveillance cameras and seventeen other security and police cameras, we managed to get partial shots of approximately sixty percent of her face. Our IT experts used image manipulation software to produce a composite out of these partial images and extrapolated the missing information using protocols specially derived for the purpose. This was fine tuned further by interviewing the barista who served her, to produce these estimates - "

A dozen images flashed up on screen with a variety of hair and eye colours - an IT expert explained they had not been able to recover this information, so were presenting a full range of alternatives. Annie sat up in her seat, she found herself drawn to the image with blonde hair and green eyes. She stood up and walked over to the screen.

"Can you make her hair longer and add waves?" She said suddenly.

"Like this?" The IT guy said.

Annie nodded. "I've seen that face before. Now where?" She was almost lost in thought. _Oh, god - it can't be…_

She dived for her tablet, opened up her facebook app and with trembling fingers searched for what she remembered and swiped the picture over to the IT guy's laptop. "Can you check that for consistency with your reconstruction?"

He banged at a few keys. "Yes, it's a fit." He said. "Who's the guy with her?"

She didn't answer the question, instead she turned to Atal. "We need to book a flight to Denver, tonight if possible."

XXXXXX

(Greendale Community College, the next day)

Annie had not expected her first visit in almost five years to the crazy, chaotic, incompetent disaster area she had so loved and called home for six years to be on official FBI business. She found herself comparing it with her memories with all the trepidation of an adult visiting a place they'd loved in childhood and expecting it to be smaller and more mundane than memory recalled.

It was the small details she noticed first. The buildings looked like they were properly maintained _\- almost as though they don't get wrecked by a paintball war every year -_ the grass in the Quad was properly trimmed, the library seemed to be busy with students actually studying, the students she asked for directions to the law department were polite, helpful and serious. It was Greendale, and yet - _it's almost like a normal school now,_ she thought. _Jeff always said that if he couldn't leave he wanted to make this a place worth staying in. Did he do it? Or help Frankie do it anyway._ She added with a wry smile. _This was where I made my first real friends. Where I first fell in love. Where I had my first real kiss. Where I met a bunch of crazy, infuriating, lazy, hypocritical, wonderful and caring people who took in a stressed, obsessive ex-junkie with no friends or family and allowed her to believe in herself again, to believe she was somebody who could make a difference._

 _This is the place I turned my back on for five years and only connected with again because it came to me._

"A penny for them?" Atal had noticed she seemed to be elsewhere.

"Just memories," she said. "This was my home for a long time, there are a lot of them."

"I can imagine," he replied. "Was that guy really the Dean when you were a student here?" They had gone to Craig's office first as a matter of courtesy to announce their arrival on Campus - he had squealed with delight on seeing Annie and enveloped her in a big hug, then cast a lengthy gaze over her partner in a way that Annie remembered entirely too well from countless Study Group sessions. He'd then detained them for a good ten minutes reminiscing before giving them directions to the Law department.

"He's actually mellowed over the years," Annie said with a soft smile. "Back then he would just as likely have been wearing a dress or a nurse's uniform as jacket and slacks."

Atal looked at her in disbelief. "I never used to completely believe your stories about how crazy this place was, but after meeting your friends…"

Annie smiled again. "It was strange, but this place always had a knack for fixing broken people."

He nodded with understanding. "I think we're almost here anyway." They had arrived at Joseph Hall which had a sign outside clearly announcing -

DEPARTMENT OF LAW

Head: Professor J T Winger Esq, , JD

Annie couldn't help a proud smile as she read the sign. They asked for Jeff at the reception desk, the receptionist said he was currently lecturing. They thanked her, and wandered through the building to the main lecture theatre, where a quick look through the glass panel of the door showed almost a hundred students sitting up and paying attention as Jeff strode confidently across the front of the theatre.

 _The ego-boosting joy of having a room full of people listening and looking up to him._ Annie suddenly remembered their conversation last summer. She looked at her watch.

"It'll only be about ten minutes," she said. "We can wait until then."

XXXXXX

"...And finally, for your homework this week read chapters 11 to 14 of your coursebooks. There will be a spot test next week." Jeff grinned at the good natured groaning that greeted this announcement. "Now get out of here." He grinned again as another wave of groaning accompanied the scraping of seats, the shuffling of bags and the relieved chatter of students.

"Professor?"

"Yes, Hayley?" Jeff was surprised to see she was still there - she was usually one of the first out of class.

"Do you remember the FBI agent from the conference last year?" Jeff nodded and frowned.

"Yes, why?"

"She's in the corridor outside - are you alright?"

Jeff looked like he was having a heart attack. _Annie? What the hell - I don't hear from her for almost two months and then she just turns up?_ "It's okay - thanks for letting me know." But Annie was already walking through the door. _She's got her partner with her - what is going on?_ Jeff turned to face them as Hayley said her goodbyes and left.

"Hi Annie, it's good to see you again." Her face was completely still, Jeff could read absolutely nothing in her body language. _I can't afford to mess this one up. What is she looking for?_

XXXXXX

Annie felt herself freeze slightly as the students dispersed and she stood up to walk into the lecture theatre. She watched Jeff's body language change from the easy, confident stance he'd adopted in front of his students to something wary and defensive as he greeted her. _Why isn't he happy to see me? I didn't mean this to be how we got into contact again, but -_

"This isn't a social call, Jeff." She said. "We're here on official business." A hurt expression passed over his face _. Why did I say that? Just because he didn't run towards me with tears of gratitude because I finally broke a two month long silence?_

"Do I need to call a lawyer, Annie?" He said in a careful, emotionless tone of voice.

Atal had noticed with some surprise the rising tension between them. "That won't be necessary, Jeff _."_ He said, directing a _don't blow this, Annie_ look at his partner. "We believe you may be able to help us with some background on somebody who may be a person of interest in an ongoing investigation, that's all."

"Let's do this in my office," Jeff sighed. "We'll have more privacy there."

Jeff led them down a hallway and up a flight of stairs to a comfortable, well appointed office with a view out over the driving range. _You've done well for yourself, Jeff._ Annie thought as she looked at the stylish desk, the wall of law books and journals and the coffee table with two small sofas on either side of it, doubtless for more informal occasions. He gestured for his visitors to sit on one of the sofas and took the other one for himself.

"Well, to what do I owe the pleasure?" He said. His body language was still guarded, defensive.

Annie felt something shrivel inside. _I hate seeing you like this, I hate knowing it might be my fault._ "Do you know this woman?" She passed a picture over to him.

"Of course I do, you got that picture from my Facebook account."

 _Don't be a lawyer with me, Jeff - please._ "What can you tell us about her?"

 _Is this really all I am to you now, Annie? A source?_ "That's Nataliya, Mark's girlfriend."

 _I missed you so much. Why are you treating me like a stranger?_ "How well do you know her?"

 _Would you ever have spoken to me again if it hadn't been for your work?_ "We shared a house for a week. We went to a couple of parties with Mark and I took her out to dinner once when he was busy. But you know this if you've been following my facebook page."

"We'd like to hear your impressions of her." Atal, who couldn't believe the tension between them, had intervened. Jeff seemed to relax slightly at the intervention of the other agent and began to talk more freely about how Nataliya liked to cultivate the image of a dumb model, speaking with a heavy Russian accent and pretending not to understand much English, wandering around the house and garden in a bikini or even less (Annie shifted uncomfortably at that, especially as Jeff smiled slightly at the memory) and watching reality TV. Jeff also mentioned however that in private she spoke flawless English with barely an accent, watched C-Span, read the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal and was perfectly capable of holding an extended conversation with a law professor over the cases likely to come before the Supreme Court and what the consequences of them would be.

When they asked him if he knew who else she had talked to and got a blunt answer - pretty much every influential, middle-aged guy in DC who had attended one of Mark's lobbying functions and who was sufficiently straight to notice a hot blonde - they looked at each other with sudden concern.

A final round of questions followed and a request for Jeff to copy all the pictures he'd taken of Nataliya -

("All of them? Are you sure?"

"Yes Jeff, all off them."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you.")

And a final warning about keeping their visit confidential -

("You must not tell anybody about this visit - especially Mark.")

And they were ready to leave. Atal couldn't help but notice the way Annie wouldn't look Jeff in the eye as she said goodbye and showed herself out, and Jeff couldn't take his eyes off her, with a heartbroken expression on his face, as she left.

"Annie, can I borrow your phone please?" He asked as they headed out of the building and across the Quad. "Mine is almost dead and I'd like to let Harpreet know when I'm going to be back tomorrow."

Annie was still miles away. "Sorry?" She said before snapping back. "Oh, of course." She said as she pulled out her phone and passed it over. Atal typed something out, then closed the phone down and handed it back. Annie had barely put it back in her purse before she felt it vibrate, so she took it out again and looked at the message.

 _Jeff: Of course I'll be there, and thanks._

 _What the -_ Annie thought, as she frantically scrolled back up.

 _Me: I'm sorry things were so weird back then, can we meet up tonight and talk privately and off duty? We're staying at the Riverside Travelodge and I'll be free from 7:30._

"Atal - what the hell?" She turned and hissed at her partner, her face going pale with rage.

He didn't back down. "You need to talk to that guy, Annie - and not like you did just now. You weren't going to do it yourself, so I helped you."

"That's _way_ out of line! You had no right -"

"Can it, Annie." She squeaked in shock as he continued speaking. "Your party ended the way it did because everybody who was there - including Paul - could see you were there with the wrong guy. Everybody except you and Jeff, it seems. You guys need to talk, get on the same page and take a chance with each other - don't spend your life being miserable because that's safer than trying to be happy. You've spent two months not talking and it's killing you - you can't keep working eighteen hour days just to distract yourself."

Annie's rage collapsed. "I'm afraid, Atal. We've danced around this thing for so long I don't think either of us knows how to stop anymore."

"A life lived in fear is a life half lived, Annie."

"More Sikh wisdom, Atal?" Annie said dryly.

He grinned at her. "It's from 'Strictly Ballroom' - the greatest Australian ballroom dance movie of the nineties."

"Is that an actual genre then?" Annie muttered. But Atal had continued talking.

"Try and live life to the full for once. Go out to dinner tonight, have a few drinks, talk and try not to be complicated - heck, sleep with the guy if you want -" Annie squeaked again. "Or not, as the case may be." Atal smiled again.

Annie tried to deflect one last time. "I can't, I've got to write up the interview notes and -"

Her partner wasn't having it. "I'll write up the notes and email them to the rest of the task force. You are going to relax and have a good time."

"Yes Atal," She sighed, but also smiled a little.

XXXXXX

(Riverside Travelodge, 7:30)

Jeff had gone back to his apartment after finishing for the day, showered, changed - smart casual but no designer labels, nothing that screamed 'trying too hard' - and left again, pulling into the motel car park with a minute to spare. He went into the lobby and saw Annie was already there. She hadn't changed out of her FBI uniform - knee length black skirt, black jacket, white button through blouse and medium heels - but she was still the only thing in the room Jeff could focus on. As he walked over, she stood up and faced him.

They hesitated for a moment in nervous silence.

"I'm sorry -" Jeff blurted out.

"I'm sorry -" Annie said simultaneously.

Jeff smiled slightly at the confusion. "Youth before beauty," he said. Annie rolled her eyes at him.

"Can we go somewhere else and talk on the way?"

"Of course, how does Morty's Steakhouse sound?"

"Like a good idea for someone who hasn't had a proper meal since yesterday." She smiled slightly at him.

Jeff bowed a fraction and indicated she could start walking.

"I really am sorry, Jeff." She said as they left the building and walked across the car park. "I promised to speak to you and I meant it, but it was so hard to say what I wanted to say and work was so busy that it was easy to put it off that I -" She went silent for a moment.

"I said you could have as much time as you needed Annie, and I meant it." In truth, Jeff could barely restrain the urge to take Annie by the shoulders and shake her until everything came out, but he suspected that might prove counter-productive.

Annie looked up at him with a slight smile. "Thanks Jeff - oh, nice car!" They'd reached the Jaguar.

"Thanks," he said. "Britta calls it my mid life crisis taken physical form."

"Wouldn't it need to be a convertible for that?"

Jeff grinned suddenly. _This. This is what I've missed._ "Thanks Annie, you understand."

They climbed into the car and Jeff pulled out of the car park. Annie went serious before she spoke again.

"What were you going to apologise for, Jeff?"

Jeff was silent for a moment as he concentrated on manoeuvring the car through a junction. "Everything." He said at last.

"I don't understand." Annie's brow furrowed.

"You were in a good place before we met again," he said. "You were in a relationship with somebody you loved, you were happy, you had a future ahead. Then I came along and blew -"

"It's not your fault, Jeff."Annie interrupted. "I didn't really love Paul, I liked him and I liked the fact that he seemed to love me. I think we were together because I was in love with being loved, not because I was in love. All you did was make me realise the difference earlier than would otherwise have been the case."

 _Did she just say -_ Jeff found himself thinking with shocked surprise. Annie seemed to realise she'd said more than she intended to as well, for she changed the direction of conversation.

"Jeff, I need to ask you a favour - can we not talk about anything serious tonight?"

 _You started it._ "I'm not sure I understand what you mean, Annie."

"Remember the girl with flowers in her hair, Jeff?"

 _As if I could ever forget her._ "Of course."

"You said I looked tired and stressed out and needed to be carefree, even if just for an afternoon. I'm even more tired and stressed now, work is reaching a crisis point and my private life - " she hesitated for a moment " - the thing is, can I be that girl again for an evening? Can we just relax, have fun, pretend it's just the two of us? I've got a bunch of vacation days I need to use, I promise as soon as this case is over I'll take a couple of weeks and come back to Greendale and we can have that serious conversation I promised you, but tonight can we just do stupid stuff, like in the old days?"

Jeff looked sideways for a moment before returning his concentration to the road as he took the turning for Morty's car park. _She looks tired, depressed… beaten. If that's what it takes to get my Annie back I can wait._ "Your wish is my command." He said instead as the car came to a halt. Annie's face melted into one of her soft smiles, she remained seated as Jeff got out, walked around the car and opened her door. When he reached a hand in to help her out she took it and did not let go as she stood up and they started to walk into the restaurant.

"So, no off-duty dress today?" Jeff asked.

"We went to the airport straight from the office, I didn't have time to go home and pack. I had to buy a toothbrush and a change of underwear at the airport."

"When you said you wanted a fun evening, did you mean the sort of fun where your underwear shopping would become relevant?"

" _JEFF!"_ Annie replied with a shocked gasp as she bumped him with her shoulder. He grinned and responded by throwing an arm across her shoulders. She looked up at him in surprise then passed an arm around his waist rather than pull away. Thus entwined, they walked into the restaurant.

XXXXXX

(Later that evening, Riverside Travelodge)

The drive back had been mostly silent, the warm comfortable sort that lies between two people who know each other deeply and are drawn together by that knowledge rather than driven apart. Once again, Jeff parked and walked around the car. Once again, Annie took his hand and didn't let go after she got out of the car.

"Thanks Jeff, I really needed tonight." She smiled up at him.

"It was a pleasure, Annie," he smiled back. "It's always a pleasure. And besides," here he chuckled softly. "Given how close I came to going out with Atal, I'm _really_ pleased it was you in the end." Annie had told Jeff the truth behind the phone call, afraid he would be angry, only for him to laugh softly and propose a toast to real friends.

They had reached the front door. Neither of them seemed willing to be the first to say the words that would bring the evening to an end.

"What are you thinking?" He said instead.

 _I'm thinking Atal said I should sleep with you if that's what I needed. But I have to be on the way to the airport before dawn and I never want to be just another girl you sleep with who disappears before sunrise. If - when - if - we Do It I want it to be the first day of the rest of our lives._

"I'm thinking if you were to kiss me now this time I wouldn't run away." She said instead.

Jeff smiled, the special, soft smile only Annie ever saw and reached one hand up to caress the back of her head, while the other took hold of one of Annie's hands. Her head tilted back slightly and her eyes opened wide as she looked into his and their lips met. This time the kiss was soft and unhurried and full of warmth and feelings but no frenzied passion.

"Hey," he said as it came to an end.

"Hey," she said. They both had soft smiles on their faces.

"I really do have to get a very early flight," she said apologetically. "But I will be back soon, I promise."

"I know you will, goodbye Annie and see you soon." They moved apart.

"Goodbye, Jeff."

She turned and walked through the hotel door, as she disappeared inside she turned one last time, smiled and waved. Jeff waved back.

 _I love you, Annie Edison._


	14. 14 - Things That Seemed So Very Plain

_**Author's warning:**_ _major character injury in this chapter._

"Craig says you were visited by Annie yesterday." Jeff was attempting to mark papers - to be precise, he was checking "Rate My Professor" (to his satisfaction, he was still top of the Greendale rankings) on his smartphone while a pile of papers sat on the table in front of him - in the Faculty Lounge when Britta threw herself into the seat opposite.

"What are you doing here, Britta? This is the Faculty Lounge!"

"It's one of my days as a teaching assistant, Jeff - it counts." She said somewhat shamefacedly.

"I'm really not sure it does."

"Stop changing the subject - what was Annie here for?"

"It was Annie and Atal, and it wasn't a social call. They needed to consult with me on an ongoing case, that's all."

" _You?_ " Britta roared with laughter. "What's the matter - are there no jerkass lawyers with an inflated opinion of themselves left in DC anymore?"

"I'm not allowed to talk about it. They made that very clear." Jeff said with frosty dignity.

"Well, the fact they didn't carry you off in handcuffs at least implies you're not the subject of the investigation, anyway." Britta sounded almost sad at this. "it was a pity she didn't at least say hello though."

"She was on a tight schedule," Jeff said. "She didn't have much free time, and she wanted to talk with me about the way her party ended."

"Ah," Britta went serious for a moment. "Did it go well?"

Jeff smiled softly, remembering the kiss. "Yes I think so - I took her to dinner at Morty's and we had a good talk. She apologised for taking so long to get in touch and I apologised for - pretty much everything, really." Jeff said wryly as Britta rolled her eyes.

"That makes sense, I suppose." Britta said. "It's just that it might be a while before we get the chance to see her again."

"Actually," Jeff said. "She also promised that as soon as this case is over she'll be back for a real visit - a couple of weeks at least, and she'll see everybody then."

"That's good to hear, but be careful with her Jeff." Britta said, still in a serious tone of voice. "She may not be the baby of the group any more, but she's just come out of a nasty breakup and is probably feeling vulnerable."

Jeff frowned. "When have I ever gone too fast or taken risks where Annie is concerned, Britta?"

She nodded, reluctantly. "Yeah, I think that's been part of your problem. Just don't change tactics now, okay?"

Jeff nodded, and, as he didn't particularly enjoy conversations about his flaws, decided to change the subject. "Speaking of babies, but where's Taylor? Shouldn't you be collecting her for lunch?"

"Ian offered to take her to buy ice cream so I've got a free break."

Jeff looked slightly surprised. "It looks like he's taking this boyfriend thing seriously."

Britta smiled. "Up to a point. Taylor said 'bollocks' the other day - I think he's teaching her to swear in British."

XXXXXX

(FBI Office - Norfolk, Virginia)

"The evidence wall is going to become a lot more popular when these go up." Dave from IT chuckled.

"Don't be jerks, guys." Atal warned.

"Hey - you and Annie got us these pictures -"

"Well, unless she's hiding out on a beach they're not going to help us identify her." Annie snapped. "Let's stick to the ones where she's fully dressed please?" She looked closer at the pictures. "And wasn't her boyfriend in the one where where she wasn't wearing a top?" Her voice had acquired a dangerous tone. " _Please_ tell me you haven't photoshopped him out - that's tampering with evidence guys! Do that on your own time, please."

The room went quiet - Annie's temper was sufficiently well known that nobody wanted to be on the wrong side of it. _Well, I can't say Jeff didn't warn me,_ she sighed to herself. In the end, Jeff had given her a USB stick containing all the pictures from his Washington holiday - all two hundred and eighty seven of them. Nataliya was in fifteen of them, and wearing no more than a bikini in five, it was the latter set of pictures that had provoked the adolescent excitement. (Annie had been touched to note that there were more pictures with her in them - eighteen, to be precise - even though she'd only spent a single afternoon with Jeff. These however had not been shared with the rest of the team.)

"We've run them through facial recognition software, and there's a ninety-eight percent plus probability that she's the abortive contact in the coffee shop." Dave was all business again. "Can we get an arrest warrant?"

"What for? All we can prove so far is that she bought a coffee." Annie sighed. _Jeff would laugh at me if I tried to take this to a court. If he was her lawyer not only would he get the warrant thrown out in thirty seconds but he'd counter-sue us for harassment just for fun._

"At a time when her agent thought she was in the Bahamas doing a photoshoot." Atal was digging through the report produced by the officers tasked with going through her background.

"Better, but still not enough." Annie looked around the room. "I think we need to sting her." She looked around the room and saw the nods in agreement. "I'll talk to Captain Austin and get the approvals we'll need."

"Her boyfriend is hosting or visiting three major lobbying functions in the next two weeks." Atal added. "The rest of us will comb the guest lists and identify likely marks who would be willing to help."

XXXXXX

It was late at night in Annie's apartment - _and when did I started thinking of it as mine, and not just Shakti's? Probably when she became a friend and not just a cousin of Atal's and told me I could stop looking for a place of my own if I was willing to share and pay half the rent and utilities -_ and she'd done as much work as she could face. The apartment was mostly dark and empty - Shakti was on another date with her new boyfriend - so she took out her tablet and fired up the Messenger app, she noticed with a smile the "online" light.

 _AnnieE: It's been a busy day. Can you say something to cheer me up?_

 _JeffWinger: I was awesome today._

 _AnnieE: Interesting to see what you think cheers me up. {smiley face} But aren't you always? {winking face}_

 _JeffWinger: Well, yes. {smiley face} But today was special. I was in court on a Justice Project case - an old couple who'd had their pension fund basically stolen by corrupt managers had come to us and we managed to track down the assets and get them compensation._

 _Annie: That's really good to hear, Jeff._

 _JeffWinger: And the best thing is, most of the prep work was done by the student volunteers - all I had to do was read their briefs and be awesome in court.{grinning face}_

 _AnnieE: Nice to see you sticking to your core competences, Jeff - laziness and showing off (eyeroll face}{smiley face}_

 _JeffWinger: Ouch! You know me too well, Annie.{blushing face}_

 _AnnieE: And yet we're still friends. I have terrible taste in men._

 _JeffWinger: Best friends, even. {smiley face} What about you, G-Woman, how has your day been?_

 _AnnieE: {tongue out face} You know I can't talk about work, Jeff {sad face} But I am on course to get back to Greendale by Spring Break, if not sooner {happy face}_

 _JeffWinger: That's great news, Annie. Everybody is looking forward to seeing you._

 _AnnieE: Everybody?_

 _JeffWinger: *I'm* looking forward to seeing you, Annie._

 _AnnieE: {smiley face}_

 _JeffWinger: It's true though - Abed, Shirley and Frankie have all asked to be informed when you confirm the dates you'll be travelling so they can take a weekend in Greendale. Abed has said Troy will be there too if he can clear a gap in his schedule._

 _AnnieE: Aaawww! {blushing face}_

 _JeffWinger: There are people out there who actually like you. Live with it, girl._

 _AnnieE: Thanks, Jeff. {smiley face} And I'm sorry, but it's after midnight here and I've got a busy day tomorrow. Thanks for the chat but…_

 _JeffWinger: I understand, goodnight Annie._

 _AnnieE: Goodnight Jeff._

Annie smiled softly as she shut her tablet down. One unexpected but happy outcome of her trip to Greendale and clearing the air with Jeff had been getting their evening conversations back. She hadn't realised how much she'd missed having someone who was consistently light and amusing - and unconditionally supportive of her - to talk to until they'd stopped after her and Paul had broken up.

XXXXXX

(Outside Mark Petrocelli's house, Chevy Chase, Maryland)

There were four of them in the unmarked van. There were three other unmarked cars in the street, and four more cars in neighbouring streets.

"The Trojan will come online and contact us as soon as she plugs in the USB stick." Dave from IT said. "That'll be the proof we need and you can go."

They had identified a Senate staffer who had met with Nataliya a couple of times previously and who had agreed to meet her again when the situation was explained to him. When he met her again at a function a week earlier, he'd asked her on a date and while out on it had deliberately left the table for long enough for her to help herself to a USB stick that had been planted for the purpose. Now Annie and the others were waiting for her to complete the chain by either uploading it or passing it on to a contact. In the event she uploaded it, there was a Trojan embedded on the stick that would immediately send a message to Dave's laptop. Annie already knew this of course, but she recognised Dave's need to talk through his nerves and let him babble.

"We have a connection!" Dave's voice suddenly went a couple of octaves higher. "You can -" but he was already talking to an empty vehicle as Annie and Atal burst out and started running across the road.

XXXXXX

(Inside Mark Petrocelli's house)

Nataliya had let her guard down after the aborted rendezvous at the coffee shop as the days had passed and it became increasingly clear that even if whoever had poor Brian had managed to break him they had not got anything useful from him. To be on the safe side she had destroyed everything that could conceivably link her to "Patricia Hollister" from , but she didn't truly believe she had got away with it until she had gone on the modelling assignment to Berlin and neither leaving the country nor re-entering it had caused any issues with the TSA apparatchiki at the airport.

After returning from Berlin, where her GRU handler had met her and assured her there was no sign of any active investigation, she had resumed grooming her remaining contacts and cultivating new ones. A particularly promising one who worked for a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee and couldn't stop boasting about how influential he was had been dazzled for long enough not to notice her lift a USB stick from his briefcase.

She connected the stick to her laptop, only for a program that wouldn't normally show up on a file search to suddenly start flashing an alarm warning her of an unauthorised outgoing connection being attempted. She froze with shock for a moment as she realised the stick had been bugged then hit a certain combination of keystrokes causing the laptop to aggressively reformat the hard drive and anything attached to it. She didn't wait for it to finish, instead running downstairs and brushing past Mark with a brief apology on her way to the door that provided internal access to the garage. She was already in the two seater sports car Mark had got her for her last birthday and waiting for the garage door to open when she heard the hammering on the front door start.

XXXXXX

Annie was standing slightly back as Atal knocked on the door when she suddenly heard the noise of a car engine coming round from the side of the house. Acting entirely on instinct, she turned in the direction of the noise and reached for the gun in her shoulder holster. She was already drawing it as the car came into view, accelerating hard, with their suspect behind the steering wheel. Annie ran to get into a firing position, screaming "Stop! FBI!" as she did so - the car continued to accelerate as several things happened almost simultaneously. Annie fired twice even as she registered the car wasn't stopping, then she desperately tried to dive sideways to get out of the way as the car swerved to avoid her shots - in the same direction. Annie felt a sickening thud as the side of the car smashed into her, and then she was flying through the air. She crashed into the ground, her head hit a hard surface and everything went black.


	15. Chapter 15 - Waiting For Annie

(Jeff Winger's apartment, 11:30PM)

Jeff was getting ready to go to bed when his phone started ringing. He cursed slightly as he reached for it and swiped to accept the call.

" _Mr Winger?_ "

"Professor Winger, yes." Jeff was sufficiently grumpy at being interrupted not to let that slide.

" _My apologies, professor. I am calling you from George Washington University Hospital in Washington DC because you are listed as an emergency contact of a Ms Annie Edison, currently residing in Norfolk, Virginia. Is that correct?"_

Jeff sat bolt upright. All sleep fled from his brain as he listened to the news - Annie had been hit by a car, was in critical condition and currently in surgery. They wouldn't know how serious it was until she was out of surgery.

"I'm on my way. I'll be there as soon as I can."

Jeff switched to a booking app - there was a flight leaving Denver at 7:00AM that would get him to DC by half past midday that had seats available. He booked one, then switched websites to rent a car at the other end and checked the address of the hospital to load into his GPS. Then he called up his contact list and sent a text message to Abed, Britta, Shirley and Craig -

 _ **Heard from GWU Hospital in Washington - Annie critically injured. In surgery now. Will keep informed.**_

Then he threw a few things into an overnight bag. He'd barely finished when he felt his phone vibrate, the message was from Abed. _Of course,_ Jeff thought. _He's on the west coast, he's probably not gone to bed yet._ The message was straightforward enough -

 _ **I have to finish some things first. It'll be two days before I can travel, let us know what the situation is when you arrive.**_

Jeff read the message twice before it struck him - _I never said I was going. It just didn't occur to Abed I'd be doing anything else._ If Jeff hadn't been so stressed out over Annie he would have been touched at the faith his friend had in him, but instead he just put the phone in his pocket, took a hard look at his bed and assessed the likelihood of actually falling to sleep while worrying about Annie versus the need for at least a few hours rest and cursed softly. Instead, he shouldered his bag and headed out down to the parking lot where he collected his Jaguar and drove out to the airport. By the time he'd parked his car and entered the terminal building, he still had over four hours to wait so he found a 24-hour coffee bar and tried to concentrate on writing emails to his intern and colleagues in the Law department to reallocate his workload for the next couple of days.

Time crawled, but eventually his flight was called. He boarded the plane, managed to sleep on board somehow before arriving at Ronald Reagan National Airport. It was less than an hour after clearing the airport before he finally arrived at the hospital.

Jeff went to reception where he was directed to intensive care. When he got there he was blocked by a man holding a tablet.

"What's your relationship to the patient, sir?" The - nurse, Jeff assumed going by the scrubs he was wearing - said with obstructive courtesy.

 _What the hell do I say to that?_ Jeff thought to himself as a wave of memories washed over him. Instead, he paused for breath, drew himself up to full height and looked the jobsworth straight in the eye.

"I'm her oldest friend, her emergency contact - and her lawyer." It annoyed Jeff that the last was probably the only thing that would impress the man in front of him, but he was prepared to use whatever weapon he had.

"If you'll wait here for a moment please sir, a doctor will be out momentarily."

It was actually just over five minutes later before a somewhat harassed man in a white coat and carrying a tablet came out. Rather than just stand there, Jeff checked his messages - most were expressions of shock and sympathy, but he smiled fondly when he read Shirley's and saw she was already at Atlanta airport when she sent her message and would be on the next plane with a free seat.

Jeff didn't pretend to understand the detail of what the doctor told him, but he got the important bits - Annie had been hit by a speeding car, she'd been in surgery to contain the initial damage and stop the internal bleeding, then she'd had a full neurological assessment and a CT Scan to assess the brain damage from her head injury and then she'd been taken back into surgery. She was now out of surgery again and would await another neurological assessment on the progress of her recovery from the head injury before going back into surgery to treat her lower priority injuries such as the numerous broken bones. She was still unconscious, still in intensive care and not able to receive visitors. The most the doctor was prepared to do was take Jeff to the door of the ward so he could see her through a window.

Jeff accepted the offer, and wasn't surprised to see armed guards on the door - the FBI were looking after their own. The sight through the window horrified him however, Annie was barely visible beneath the bandages, the tubes running in and out of her body and the machines surrounding her bed.

"Oh God -" he said.

"It's not as bad as it looks." The doctor said quietly. "She's being attended by some of the finest trauma specialists in the world, with access to the most advanced equipment. Her chances are better here than they are pretty much anywhere else. The biggest risk at this time is brain damage from where she hit her head when she was thrown to the ground, but we won't be able to fully assess that until after she wakes up."

Unfortunately, Jeff was a lawyer and could tell when someone was attempting to sound reassuring while avoiding committing to anything definite. He thanked the doctor anyway.

The doctor nodded. "If you leave your contact details with reception I'll make sure you're contacted as soon as there's any change. It will be many hours yet however, in the meantime I suggest you go and find somewhere to rest, maybe grab something to eat?"

Jeff nodded, thanked the doctor again and turned away. He dropped a business card off at reception - with barely veiled threats as to what would happen if he wasn't kept up to date - and walked away with a vague intention of finding somewhere to have a coffee and send some text messages to keep the others up to date. Instead, he spotted a sign pointing to the hospital chapel and, without knowing why, followed it.

The chapel was a small room, empty except for a few chairs and a table with a cross on it. _Why am I here? I don't even really believe in this stuff!_ He thought to himself. _Annie does, though._

He sighed, and feeling like a fool, started to talk. "Look, I don't even know you're there - for all I know there's nobody on the other end of this line. But just in case there is, there's something I need to say. You see, I want you to think about what you were doing when you put someone like Annie in this world, there must have been more to it than just to watch her die in such a stupid way after such a short time. She makes people better - look at me sitting here talking to you, that's because of her - just by sharing her life with them. She does stuff that you're supposed to approve of, so give her some more time to keep on doing it. The world is a better place because she's in it, don't take her away from us just yet, okay?"

Jeff ground to a halt as tears poured down his cheek.

"You're not trying to Winger Speech _God_ , are you boy?"

Jeff stood up in shock. "Shirley?" He turned around and saw it was indeed his friend. He reached over and gathered her into a big embrace.

"It's Annie, Shirley." He said with his head pressed against the top of hers, as though that was all the explanation needed. Maybe it was.

Shirley smiled at him, though her face was still bleak with worry. "I'm sure He'll forgive you your lack of respect." She said. "I'll put in a word for you anyway, just to be sure." Her expression went stern again.

Jeff smiled bleakly back at her, and asked her what she was doing there. She told him about seeing his text when she got up, taking Ben over to a neighbour's and then her dash to the airport and getting a seat on the next flight to DC that had a free seat. When she got to the hospital the receptionist had refused to give her any details as she wasn't family so she had looked for somewhere to pray for guidance instead - which was how she'd found Jeff.

"I can help you with that, at least." Jeff said, and proceeded to pass on to Shirley as much as he could recall of what the doctor had told him.

Shirley nodded in thanks when he finished. She took hold of his hand and smiled at him. "Thank you, Jeffrey - now go and be a lawyer, and tell these people how you're going to make their lives not worth living if they don't do everything humanly possible for our Annie. I've got this end covered." She looked over at the cross at the other end of the room.

Jeff suspected that, in the unlikely event the hospital needed encouraging to do their job, the FBI were probably doing more than he could to set them right. He recognised Shirley's need to pray in peace however and made his farewell before heading off to find a coffee and go back to the waiting area near Annie's room.

XXXXXX

Jeff's suspicions were confirmed when he got back and saw Atal and a couple of other men talking to three doctors. _He looks like he hasn't slept for over twenty four hours,_ Jeff thought before realising that was almost certainly the case. Annie's partner nodded briefly to acknowledge his arrival, then turned back to the discussion. After the doctors dispersed, he came over to talk to Jeff.

He took one look at Jeff's coffee cup, then called over a junior agent and gave him a twenty and told him to get coffee for everyone.

"They told me Annie's lawyer had arrived," Atal said. "I thought it would be either you or Paul."

Jeff was distracted for a moment. "Why would it be Paul?"

Atal sighed. "She never got round to updating her emergency contact details, so the hospital called him. He was apparently the one who told them to call you."

"That's… surprisingly decent of him."

"Yeah," Atal didn't seem interested in continuing that line of conversation.

"So, what's going on?" Jeff said, nodding in the direction of Annie's room. Atal repeated what the doctors had told him, which basically boiled down to not much change since Jeff had spoken to them.

Jeff nodded and was silent for a moment, then blurted out "So, how the hell did she end up here?" _You're her partner, you were supposed to keep her safe!_

"I'm not sure I can - oh, screw it. It's probably going to be on the news anyway." He leaned back and shut his eyes for a second before continuing.

"We finally got the evidence needed to arrest your friend Nataliya-"

"I think you can assume she's off my Christmas card list now."

Atal raised barely the ghost of a smile at the sour joke before continuing. "But when we reached the house she attempted to flee in her car. Annie tried to flag her down, but she didn't stop and Annie couldn't get out of the way in time, she got hit hard and thrown a long way." His voice was grim. "We had first responders on hand in case anything went wrong, so there was that." He sighed. "Then she was brought here, and, well…" he ground to a halt.

"What about -"

"Stopped by a DC police roadblock a couple of blocks short of the Russian Embassy." Atal now had a note of grim satisfaction in his voice. "she's in custody now. You are not allowed to know where."

Jeff nodded. "If there's anything I can do to help -"

"Thanks, but I'll be amazed if she sees a proper trial. She'll be swapped for somebody the Russians hold who we want and then go home, get a fancy medal and a photoshoot in Russian Maxim." He said sourly. "The guys at the Bureau really liked your pictures, by the way."

"Yeah… thanks?" Jeff honestly had no idea what to say to that.

"The best we can hope is that we can hold her for long enough to found out how much damage she did." Atal continued. "There'll probably be a lot of medium to high level guys in DC taking their wives on expensive breaks this weekend." He added cynically.

"Unless Annie dies." His tone went bleak.

"What?" Jeff said, shocked.

"The Director has made it clear he will resign rather than permit someone who killed an FBI agent on American soil to be swapped. But we don't want that to happen, do we?"

"I'll happily take out a subscription to Russian Maxim if that's the alternative."

"Quite." Atal stood up as the junior agent returned with coffee. "there's one other thing," he said.

"We've been having difficulty tracking down Annie's family to let them know. You wouldn't have any contact details for them, would you?"

Jeff shook his head. "She has a brother Anthony who still lives in Riverside, but I've no idea where her parents are - her father disappeared when they got divorced and her mother hasn't spoken to her since she cut her off."

"Thanks - there can't be that many Anthony Edisons in Riverside, Colorado. Maybe he'll be able to give us more information. I wish I could say it was a pleasure to see you again Jeff, but given the circumstances - help yourself to coffee."

"Thanks Atal - look, can you do me a favour? Shirley's here but the hospital are reluctant to give her updates."

"Mrs Bennett?" Atal looked surprised. "Of course, I'll have a word. keep well Jeff."

"And you."

XXXXXX

Time crawled by for the rest of the day. Shirley returned and Jeff filled her in on what Atal had said. They tried to talk for a while but soon fell into a tense silence watching like a hawk as medical staff went back and forth. Jeff even managed to do a little work - answering emails, reading briefs for a case he was consulting on privately which he had jokingly told Britta would pay for a new suite of lounge furniture but now seemed meaningless - but he only managed to focus for a few minutes and then would be distracted again by someone walking past. At one point he gave in to temptation and checked the news sites, only to see Atal was right and the news of a car chase through DC leading to a big spy bust was all over them. He read further and got more and more annoyed as he saw Nataliya's name had somehow got out and stories were being illustrated with her modelling pictures.

"I think our Annie looks nicer," Shirley grumbled when he explained what was annoying him. "Maybe we should leak some pictures of our own." Jeff couldn't help but smile at the sight of his friend's Mama Bear instincts still alive and well.

"I'm not sure the FBI would appreciate that, Shirley."

"Well they should do _something._ "

"They're trying to find her parents first." Shirley just uh-hmmed to show what she thought of that.

XXXXXX

More time passed. Jeff started pacing backwards and forwards and harassing passers-by for information and desperately trying to parse if all the "no change" responses were a good or a bad thing. Shirley went off and fetched sandwiches and forced him to eat - he suddenly realised he'd had nothing but coffee since receiving the initial message the night before. To distract himself, he re-read the personal emails responding to his various updates -

 _ **Abed: I'll be on the red eye Friday night, and I'll be with you Saturday morning. Troy is half way through a six week concert tour of Japan but says to tell the hospital if there's anything Annie's insurance doesn't cover then send the bill to him.**_

Jeff had assumed that whatever insurance the FBI provided would cover the cost of treatment for injuries received in the course of duty, but Troy's offer was still a relief.

 _ **Britta: I'll be there as soon as I can raise money for a ticket and arrange child care - seeing parents tonight. Tell Shirley to keep praying, for what good it'll do.**_

Jeff knew Britta's financial situation was a lot more stable than it had been for a long time, but she was still a long way from being able to afford to fly across country at a moment's notice and he was well aware of what it would cost her to ask her parents to pay. (Shirley both hmmphed in an offended tone and smiled slightly when Jeff showed her the final sentence.)

 _ **Craig: Jeffrey, you poor boy! I'll be there as soon as I can to hold your hand.**_

Jeff just shuddered at that. He switched tabs and opened up a hotel finder website - the hospital staff had started to make noises that only immediate family were allowed to stay overnight. "We need to think about tonight," he said to Shirley. "Are you willing to share a room?"

"With _you_?"

Jeff smiled. "I promise to behave myself." He showed her the last email. "And it looks like it's either you or Craig…"

"Twin beds, and I get the bathroom first. I know how long you take."

XXXXXX

Jeff went to bed that night - quietly, as Shirley was already asleep - fully expecting to be tossing and turning all night. In fact, a body that had been mostly awake for thirty six hours finally extracted its price and he was asleep within minutes, though he awoke with a shock as his phone went off at 6AM, only to find it was his regular alarm. He checked it and noted with some relief there were no messages from the hospital overnight.

They still went straight there after a rushed breakfast though, only to find on arrival that Annie was being taken back into surgery, a good sign according to a doctor they tackled as it meant she was strong enough now for them to tackle some non-life threatening concerns. But still, it would be hours yet before more was known. Jeff offered to wait while Shirley did some emergency shopping for things she hadn't had time to pack, and when she came back a couple of hours later she waited while he did his shopping. Lunch time came round, and Annie finally left surgery - the medical staff were optimistic but uninformative ("surgery went well, no change in her overall condition"), and time dragged on through the afternoon. Jeff conducted a conference call with Greendale, Shirley checked up on her boys. Coffee, sandwiches, stress, tension and tedium were the ruling factors of the day.

Evening came round, with them still having got no closer than the window at the door of Annie's room and the faint beeping of machines.

"What are you doing here?" Shirley's tone was hostile and threatening. Jeff turned round and saw why.

"It's okay Shirley, I'll handle this."

"He shouldn't be here, Jeff." She grumbled, but turned away with one last glare.

Jeff was tempted to throw Paul out himself - he still held a cold anger for the way Paul had broken up with Annie on her birthday, and his palms still itched at the thought of punching him - but he thought for a moment. _It's thanks to this guy I found out as soon as I did, the least I can do is hear him out._

"The FBI says it's thanks to you that I didn't find out about this from the News," Jeff said. Paul looked like he was knocked off balance slightly by the not-hostile opener.

"Annie obviously hadn't gotten around to updating her contact details," he decided to respond in the same tone. "So when they called me I felt it was no longer my place and said they should call you."

"So what are you doing here then?" Jeff said to Paul.

Paul suddenly looked him in the eyes as though slapped. "Just because we're not together anymore, it doesn't mean I don't care if she lives or dies, _Jeff_!"

Jeff was about to snap something back when he noticed that people were starting to look at them. "Can we take this somewhere else?"

"Do we have anything to say to each other?" Paul's face was grim, his expression hostile.

"I think so, yes." Jeff said. Paul looked surprised at the calm answer, then grudgingly nodded.

"There's a 24 hour Starbucks next to the cafeteria." Jeff said, he turned to Shirley, who had a 'what are you playing at, boy?' expression on her face. "Fetch me when it's time to leave?" Shirley nodded, reluctantly. "Though I don't expect to be that long."

"Are you aware of Annie's condition?" Jeff said, trying to find a non-contentious topic as they walked down to the coffee shop.

"Yes, I spoke to a doctor when I arrived." Paul wasn't in much of a mood for small talk.

"They're not letting anybody inside her room." Jeff tried anyway. "The closest we've got is outside the door." Paul just grunted, and there was silence for the rest of the walk and while ordering their drinks.

"Well, you're the one who wanted to talk." Paul said after they sat down.

Jeff thought for a moment. "She didn't cheat on you, you know. I'm not going to tell you I wouldn't have if she'd been willing, but she wasn't prepared to do that to you. We really were trying to just be friends."

Paul sighed. "Oh, she cheated on me all right." He waved a hand to forestall Jeff's denial. "Oh probably not physically, I can accept that - heck, I could forgive that." He took a sip of his coffee before continuing. "She cheated on me emotionally - she stopped loving me a long time ago, if she ever really did, that is. But she never stopped loving you, she just needed to remember that."

"She never-"

"Don't be a bigger idiot than you have to be, Jeff." Paul snapped back. "This break up happened because you two would rather ruin the lives of other people than be honest with each other."

"Hey -"

Paul wasn't having any interruptions. "Just cut out all the what you feel for each other is too noble and rarified to survive in the real world crap and try to make each other unhappy by being together for a change instead of by being apart. At least then it'll only be the two of you being miserable and the collateral damage will be contained. And heck, maybe you might even live happily ever after." His tone was bitterly sarcastic.

"Nobody meant to hurt you, Paul -"

"I was going to propose to her at the party, you know? I'd bought a ring - amethyst surrounded by a diamond cluster."

Jeff was slightly stunned by the news. "Purple is her favorite colour." He said softly.

"Yeah, that's what I told the jeweller." Paul sighed again. "Better to find out now than a couple of years down the line I suppose, when she decides she's married to a guy she doesn't love and starts hating him instead, and there might be a kid involved to make things really messy."

Jeff suddenly remembered something Annie had told him about Paul, and realised he was describing the end of his first marriage.

"Annie really would want you to be okay you know, and not just to avoid a guilty conscience."

"I know - she always wanted the best for the people she cared about, even if she sometimes had crazy and counter-productive ways of showing it." He smiled suddenly. "And you can tell her I am going to be okay. I started talking to my ex-wife again after the break up - properly, not in the let's-try-to-be-polite-for-James'-sake way, and it was pretty good." He smiled again at a recent memory.

"She's been a rock," he continued, "and for the moment at least the stuff that drove us apart seems less important than what brought us together. Our son is delighted, of course." He smiled again.

"Maybe we just needed to grow up. Maybe all anyone needs is to grow up." He looked sharply at Jeff at that.

"You could tell her yourself, you know." Jeff wasn't prepared to engage with Paul's final jab just yet.

Paul shook his head. "I assume your gang is travelling here?" Jeff nodded. "Probably best for me not to be around," Paul continued. "I'll keep in touch with the hospital and come in when she's awake, but until then I'll keep my distance, it's probably best for all concerned."

Jeff didn't try to deny it. Paul threw back the last of his coffee and stood up.

"Well, this was… surprisingly civilised," he said. "You're a defence lawyer, aren't you? Do you practice in the Federal Courts?"

Jeff nodded, surprised at the direction the conversation had taken. "Colorado district, 10th Circuit." He said.

"I'm a prosecutor - Eastern Virginia, 4th Circuit. It's unlikely, but with any luck the next time I see you will be across a courtroom."

"Yeah, I'd like that." Jeff replied firmly.

Paul held out his hand, Jeff took it. They both forewent the strength test. "Look after her, okay?" Paul ended the handshake and walked out of the coffee shop without looking back. Jeff finished his own coffee and went back to find Shirley.

XXXXXX

Saturday came, Jeff left Shirley to sleep and then drove to Dulles airport to collect Abed - hellos and hugs were exchanged, Jeff updated Abed as far as he could and Abed attempted to console his friend as best he could. ("Annie's show is a police procedural, not a hospital drama Jeff - if she was leaving she would have gone by now." Jeff had years of experience at decoding his friend and thanked him warmly.) They went back to the hotel and collected Shirley for breakfast, then went to the hospital.

More waiting around, lunchtime arrived and Jeff went off to Ronald Reagan airport to collect Britta - more hugs, mumbled exchanges of news and clumsy expressions of support, and this time a few tears. Jeff took her back to the hospital to see that Atal had returned, this time with his wife and a very pretty young woman who Jeff didn't recognise but who looked absolutely devastated.

"You must be Shakti?" Jeff said. She nodded, unable to trust herself to speak.

"Thanks - just, thanks for everything. You were there when she really needed a friend." Jeff said, close to tears in his own right. Then she did cry, Jeff pulled her in for a slightly awkward hug and thanked her again until she recovered a little, when she sniffed her thanks and went back to her cousin and his family.

Atal talked to the hospital administrators for a long time. He refused to reveal what he said, but the outcome was that the Greendale Four were afforded family privileges and allowed to wait in Annie's room now the doctors had said she was out of immediate danger, though still unconscious. Abed booked a room in the same hotel as Jeff and Shirley for himself and Britta - though Shirley insisted on swapping rooms so that both were single sex, causing Britta to snark at Jeff's expense at just what exactly he'd been up to the last two nights. They agreed to take it in turns to watch over Annie all night, and Abed proposed a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors-Lizard-Spock to settle the order, which he won, taking the first shift until midnight. The others left to get some dinner and, in Britta's case, an early night. Jeff relieved Abed at midnight and settled down with his tablet until Shirley arrived at 4AM.

He was dozing slightly when, a couple of hours later, he heard a faint whisper.

"Jeff? Is that you?"


	16. Chapter 16 - The Importance Of Memory

"Annie?" Said Jeff, learning forward anxiously.

"It hurts Jeff, it hurts so much." She gasped out. She tried to scream, but it came out as only a faint whisper. Jeff froze with panic for a moment, then hit the alarm button to summon a nurse. It was less than a minute before he was moved aside by a nurse who took a few readings then summoned a doctor, but it felt much longer while he held her hand and tried to reassure her.

 _ **(02:47)**_

 _ **To: Abed, Shirley, Britta**_

 _ **Annie woke up. A doctor carried out a few tests and sedated her again. She said it looked good, but Annie should be out for another twelve hours.**_

Annie never remembered waking up that time. Jeff never told her or anyone else the details.

XXXXXX

Shirley didn't arrive alone at 4AM to relieve Jeff, all three came.

"You didn't have to come, guys. It'll be hours yet before she wakes again." He said.

"I don't see you going anywhere Jeff." Abed said, pulling up a chair.

XXXXXX

"What the hell, Atal?" The FBI agent had arrived on Saturday morning after hearing Annie had woken up during the night. That wasn't what Jeff was angry about however as he thrust a tablet at his chest.

FBI AGENT IN CRITICAL CONDITION FOLLOWING CLASH WITH RUSSIAN SPY

Was the headline, followed by a short description of Annie and her injuries. What really upset Jeff however was that it was illustrated with the picture he had taken the previous August, of Annie with flowers in her hair and smiling into the camera.

"Shouldn't you have at least asked my permission first before using that picture?"

Annie's partner was looking thoroughly embarrassed. "I'm sorry Jeff, but It was on the evidence stick you submitted. Somebody obviously thought it was unnecessary – the Bureau's public relations office has been getting increasingly irritated by how much coverage of this case is being dominated by the fact we've arrested a model and wanted to humanise our side of the story."

Jeff was feeling bitterly sarcastic. "So because Joel McHale is cracking jokes on the Late Late Show about the FBI merging it's Most Wanted list with the Hot 100 list, you guys think it's okay to violate Annie's privacy like this?"

"It's not like that Jeff, it's purely about controlling the story. She won't have to give any interviews and the rest of you will be kept out -"

"Guys - you need to see this!" Britta was looking over Abed's shoulder at what was playing on his tablet and wasn't happy. Jeff joined her and saw why - a far too familiar face with a smug smile and a bald head was looking out. Abed unplugged his headphones so everybody could hear.

" _Yes, Miss Edison was one of our most successful students. I like to think that I had some small role to play in her success, and that over the course of her time here I went from being her mentor to her closest friend…"_

The caption simply read "Craig Pelton, Dean of Students - Greendale Community College."

"I'm going to kill him." Jeff said. "This time, I really am!"

"It's not a good idea to confess your plans to murder someone in front of an FBI agent Jeff." Britta said.

"Who, me?" Atal said, still looking at the screen. "I didn't hear anything."

XXXXXX

"Hi, guys! What are you doing here?" Annie said, a bright smile forming on her face as she stirred from sleep.

"We came as soon as we heard you were injured, Annie. Is there anything we can do for you?" Shirley said with a brave smile on her face. It was the third time in two days they'd had this conversation.

XXXXXX

"Short term memory loss is a very common problem with this sort of head injury." Doctor Ryan, the neurologist, said. "Ms Edison is suffering from both retrograde amnesia - her last memory prior to the accident appears to be leaving her office and climbing into the vehicle on the way to make the arrest - and anterograde amnesia, where she is no longer remembering events after the accident."

"What's the prognosis, doctor?" Abed asked, retreating into medical jargon picked up from countless TV shows.

The doctor looked at him as though about to say something, then changed her mind. "The good news is that Ms. Edison is young and extremely healthy, chances are excellent that she will make a full physical recovery, and her memory should return as the damage to her brain heals itself. We are also bringing in a memory specialist who will assess the precise nature of her condition and work with her to devise some memory strategies to help her exercise her memory and speed her recovery. As her friends, you will have a very important role in this process - you need to be her short term memory so she does not miss her exercises."

"How long will that take, doctor?" Jeff asked. Her expression went serious.

"A few weeks at least, maybe a few months. It is also possible she may never make a full recovery."

XXXXXX

Jeff Winger's voicemail:

 _Jeff? It's Mark here. I just wanted to say - damn, I didn't think this whole mess with Nataliya could get any worse, but then I heard on the news it was your girl she hit on her way out of here. Dammit Tango, I'm just so sorry. Call me when you're ready to talk, okay?_

Jeff listened to the message three times before he could trust himself to reply, even then he couldn't bring himself to talk, so he called up Mark's number and typed out a text message:

 _ **It's not your fault, Cash. Nobody could have seen that coming - I'm at the hospital with Annie, we'll talk when things are less crazy.**_

Jeff found himself thinking back to the previous summer in Mark's house, and the way Annie and Atal had fastened on to his recollections of Nataliya and how it seemed to be the insight that helped them break the case.

 _But that's not true, is it? I should have seen it coming. If I'd taken what I saw more seriously and talked to somebody about it Annie might still be okay. It's my fault she's like this._ Thoughts whirled around his brain, chasing each other in ever decreasing circles until he could think of only one answer.

"Excuse me guys, I need some fresh air."

XXXXXX

"Bollocks, Jeff."

"You sound like Duncan, Britta. Keep learning Brittaish - British -" he giggled as though that was the funniest joke in the world "-and you'll be ready to meet the Queen." Britta, recognising the expression on Jeff's face, had followed him out of the hospital and round a corner to the nearest bar. Abed had then followed her, leaving Shirley behind with instructions to call if anything changed. Abed however lacked the seasoned livers of the other two and was dozing in the corner of the booth they'd snagged. She'd ignored Jeff's demands to leave and matched him drink for drink until he was ready to talk (and Abed had passed out).

"So you met a hot blonde, found out she was much smarter than she was letting on and you're beating yourself up because you didn't immediately de- dud- work out she was Mata fricken' Hari? Bollocks." She repeated.

"Women aren't just virgins or villains, Jeff -" he found himself idly wondering what book she'd got that from, it seemed too neat to be original, however he was nothing like drunk enough to ask her "- we can be as complex and amazing and flawed and wonderful as any man - better than any man -" Britta was struggling to hold on to the thread of her thoughts. She took another sip of vodka to gather them. "wherrwas I? Ohyeah, women." Jeff blurred out of focus for a moment. "Stopit, Jeff. Tha's better." She got him back in focus. "Anyway, you don't get to assume that just because she's hot an'blonde an'smart that she must be some sort of…" Britta ran down.

"But she _was,_ Britta." Jeff slurred past a sip of scotch.

"Yeah, bu-but you don't get to think that!" Britta was starting to rant slightly. Abed twitched as though on the verge of waking up. "Sorry, Abed." Britta whispered, almost as loudly as when she was ranting. "You were right not to be suspicious of her! It's okay to think her only guilty secret was being a smart girl doing a dumb job! Hot blondes are allowed to be something other than, than, bimbos or superspies -" Britta seemed vaguely unsatisfied with that, as though it lacked the punch of her earlier line "-I mean, lu-look a' me - I'm a blonde. I _know_ you think I'm hot," Jeff rolled his eyes at that, Britta stuck her tongue out at him. "I'm not spying for anyone, so according to your logic, I must be some sort of airhead…"

The conversation went silent for a moment.

"Sorry," Jeff said. "Was I supposed to deny something there?"

"Douchebag," she muttered back at him.

"Thanks, Britta." Jeff smiled at her and raised his glass as though toasting her. Britta smiled back, raised her own glass and clinked it against his. together, they both threw back the remains of their drinks in one go.

Abed suddenly sat upright, wide awake. "Drunken epiphany?" He said, pointing at Britta. Then he turned, and pointed at Jeff. "Drunken epiphany. Now I've just got to get you two back to the hotel without falling under a car and my work here is done."

Britta and Jeff looked at each other in amazement.

"Where you?"

"All this time?"

"Guys? This is me. Now come on, let's get back."

XXXXXX

Days slowly went by. Shirley and Britta left a couple of days after Annie woke up and said a tearful goodbye that was made extra poignant with the knowledge that Annie would soon forget they had ever been there.

XXXXXX

The two of them were alone in her room, Jeff was holding Annie's hand in both of his.

"You say you do this every day?" Said Annie.

Jeff nodded, the smile on his face was sad and weary. "I come in here, tell you how I feel about you, and then apologise for leaving it too late for us to do anything about it. And then I come back half an hour later and you don't remember a word of it."

"So how do you feel about me Jeff?"

"I love you Annie, and I can't bear the thought of you not being part of my life anymore, even like this. I've almost lost you twice now, and I don't have the strength to lose you again." He raised the hand he was holding to his lips and kissed it gently.

"Hey - I'm lucky," she said with a sad smile of her own. "I get to hear you say that for the first time every day, no other girl get's to hear that for the first time more than once." Her smile faded. "I just wish -"

"That I hadn't waited so long? That I'd said it when you stood a chance of remembering it?"

Annie nodded. "I've said that before, haven't I?" Jeff didn't say anything, he just nodded once.

"Promise me one thing, Jeff." Her expression went formidable again.

"Of course, Annie."

"Promise me this isn't a game, this isn't something you're only doing because it's safe and I'll forget about it. Promise me you'll say this again when my memory is back."

Jeff looked at her in surprise. _She hasn't said that before. Maybe -_ "Yes Annie, I promise."

Annie's smile broadened into a full beam. "You know I'm going to write this in my memory book, don't you?" She said, looking at the book in her lap.

Jeff looked up at her and smiled. "Of course you are. Do you need a few minutes? Can I get you something? Anything?"

"Orange juice would be nice."

As he left the room, she opened up the book in her lap and read the instructions inside the front cover, about how it was an important part of her recovery to write down memories, decisions and plans that she wanted to preserve in it and regularly re-read the book. Smiling, she opened it to the first empty page and wrote a date and time from the wall clock then started writing -

 _Jeff told me he loved me. It felt like the first time, although he says he's done it before - I guess part of me must still be a teenager because that girl wanted to cry with happiness. He's also promised to tell me again when my memory returns. I hope future Annie is reading this and knows he kept it._

She fought to hold on to the memory, and while she did she turned back a couple of pages and tears pricked her eyes again as she read similar notes for each of the last two days. She shut the book, put it on her bedside table and closed her eyes and let the tears run freely.

Jeff returned to the room a few minutes later.

"Hey Jeff!" Annie said with a delighted smile. "How did you know I wanted orange juice?"

His smile was somewhat more forced. "Oh, just a hunch."

XXXXXX

Jeff was well aware he was a coward.

Part of him thought that using Annie's amnesia as a safety blanket to enable him to finally be honest with her – with both of them – about how he felt about her, secure in the knowledge she would forget shortly after, was pragmatic. He had a better understanding of how she felt too now after all, and if he got used to saying it he should find it easier when she recovered. But mostly, he knew he was a coward.

XXXXXX

(Greendale Community College)

It was Britta Perry's first day back after returning from Washington, and she was on a mission. She took a hard look at the sign on the door in front of her -

CRAIG PELTON

DEAN

of Students

Straightened up, and knocked firmly.

" _Come in,"_ a voice called from inside.

Britta opened the door and stepped through, then closed the door behind her.

"Miss Perry! What can I do for you? I hope everything went well in Washington?" His smile was distinctly nervous. Britta didn't smile back.

"Craig, we need to have a talk about this school's media policy." She locked the door behind her. "A _really_ long, in-depth talk."

XXXXXX

(Annie Edison's hospital room)

"And for this week's homework, I want you to read the summary of _Arkell v. Pressdram_ in Chapter 8 and submit a 1,500 word essay outlining the strategy adopted by counsel for the defence and suggest two different alternatives. Have a nice weekend." Jeff grinned at the good natured groans to come out of the speaker.

"….And cut." Abed said. "You're clear, Jeff. Good session."

"Thanks Abed."

"That was really good Jeff – not as good as Quantico obviously, but way better than wildlife documentaries." Annie said with a delighted smile.

"Gee thanks Annie," Jeff said with a wry smile of his own. "Coming from you that means… something."

Abed finished packing away his camera and looked at the way his friends were looking at each other. "If you two are going to start flirting again I'm out of here."

"We're not –"

"Sorry Abed."

It was Friday, a week after Annie first woke in the middle of the night. Jeff had been able to negotiate an extended absence from Greendale by setting up a means of lecturing remotely - Abed would film him on his portable camera (Abed always had a camera on him) which was connected over the internet (courtesy of Abed's old contacts in the AV club) to a projector in the main lecture theatre in the law department. The students saw Jeff in front of a whiteboard projected on a screen and he saw them on his tablet. If they had any questions they emailed him and he would answer over the link. Annie had been sufficiently interested in this that she had asked if she could sit in on one of Jeff's lectures, so Jeff and Abed had set up in the corner of her room - even if Annie did forget she'd asked and they had to explain again what they were doing. The arrangement worked well for Jeff, the biggest drawback for him being that because he was two time zones away he needed to keep an extra careful eye on his schedule.

"I remember almost all of it!" Annie said with a big smile. "That's an hour - that's pretty good, right?" _At least I remembered it was a lecture, with a start and finish, even if I don't remember all the content. That's still okay, isn't it?_

"Yes Annie," Abed nodded solemnly. "That's very good." She beamed at him, then she caught sight of something on the corner of her bed and her smile faded. It was a picture taken earlier in the week of the five of them - Britta and Shirley either side of Annie, who was smiling brightly despite the bandages covering her head ("you've got a better turban than me," Atal said every time he visited, and every time Annie chuckled, not remembering the joke from the previous visit), with Jeff and Abed standing behind the group. The picture had been taken just before Britta and Shirley had had to leave to attend to their family responsibilities.

"I know they must have been here," she said sadly. "But I really don't remember anything at all."

XXXXXX

"I think Annie's memory is recovering." Abed said over a coffee while she was napping.

"Why do you think that?" Jeff's reply was in the guarded tone of a man who didn't dare hope. "She still doesn't remember anything from one visit to the next."

"No," Abed acknowledged. "But she's no longer surprised to see us here when she wakes up, it's as though her subconscious has absorbed the fact we're always around."

Jeff thought about that for a second and found himself thinking Abed might have a point.

"Also, she's started looking at you differently since you began your series of confessions."

"My _what_? I don't know what you're talking –"

Abed overrode him. "She asked me to read her memory book out loud to her last night because she felt too tired to read it herself. It made sense of a few things."

"Oh." Jeff said. He'd looked at the book himself and knew what Abed was talking about. "Abed, you can't-"

Abed interrupted him again. "It's okay Jeff, I think you're getting through to her on a deeper level than memory. She's been a lot happier recently, even if she doesn't know why. She's also started looking at you as though you're important to her –"

"We all are."

Abed ignored him. "And you two have also started flirting again. Honestly, I didn't need to see that."

"Abed, we –"

"Oh Jeff – I'm _so_ glad to see you haven't stopped working out just to look after little old me!" Abed had put on a high voice and opened his eyes wide. His voice suddenly went deep and he thrust his chest out. "Well Annie, I have a duty to stay a rugged hunk of manly manliness so you have something nice to look at! Do you want to count my abs?" his voice went high pitched again as he clasped his hands and bounced in excitement. "You know me so well!"

"I may have paraphrased slightly." Abed said in his own voice.

"We're just being … playful, that's all. It'd be way too easy to get bored and depressed around here." Jeff said shamefacedly.

XXXXXX

"Good morning, Annie."

"Good morning Doctor… Ryan." The neurologist, who saw her at least twice a day, showed no surprise as Annie's eyes flicked down to her name badge before replying.

"Today we'll be conducting some brief tests and then taking off your head bandages to see how you are recovering from surgery. Should progress be satisfactory we hope to be in a position not to replace the bandages." Annie nodded in understanding.

The doctor poked and prodded in various places, shone a light in Annie's eyes, and asked various questions that seemed absurdly simple to her but were presumably designed to test something. The doctor made a few satisfied noises and wrote some notes on her tablet, then put it down.

"Now let's see what we have here," she said as she carefully unwound the head bandages. Annie waited patiently until she felt fingers prod gently at the back of her head and was asked some more questions. Doctor Ryan completed her examination and stepped back with a small smile on her face.

"I'm pleased to say that your recovery is progressing more than satisfactorily and there is no need to re-apply bandages, though you will need a band aid for a short while. Now, would you like to see – " she gestured a nurse forward who was holding a mirror.

Vanity was not one of Annie Edison's more egregious sins, but she did like to take care of her appearance and was particularly proud of her hair, which she had trained from the frizzy mess of her teenage years into a cascade of luxuriant dark waves. When she saw her shaven head reflected in the mirror therefore, she stiffened with shock and felt a wave of panic break over her.

"AaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAARRRRRRHHHHHHH!" She screamed.

"What's going on?!" Jeff had burst into the room with a frantic expression on his face. Annie didn't notice him arrive, she was still frozen in shock at her reflection.

"Annie? What happened to your hair?" Jeff was desperately trying to attract her attention.

"She had brain surgery, professor," Doctor Ryan said. "When we do that, we don't pin the patient's hair back with a grip."

"Did you have to shave it all off?" Jeff said in a shocked tone of voice, the doctor was indifferent. "The good news is she's healing well and we can leave the bandages off, but she'll need a band aid for a few more days yet."

Jeff desperately reached around for something positive to say. "Erm, you look very Star Trek: The Motion Picture…"

Somehow, this pulled Annie out of her shock. She turned around and seemed to notice her friend for the first time, just as Abed walked in the room behind him.

"That was a terrible movie, Jeff." Abed said sternly.

"Maybe, but look me in the eye and tell me the bald girl wasn't hot." Jeff was staring straight at Annie as he said it, he had started to smile as her panic subsided. Annie felt herself blush slightly and start to smile back as she caught his eyes. She barely noticed how Abed tilted his head and twitched an eyebrow as though conceding the point, then turned to face her.

"I've got something for you." He said, bringing a bag out from behind his back.

"Aaaaaw, Abed!" Annie's smile turned into a full beam as she sifted through the collection of large, floppy berets he had got her.

"I think the purple one suits you." Jeff said.

XXXXXX

Annie was scratching her head with an irritated expression on her face. "This _itches!_ " She said.

Jeff smiled at her. "you're not used to having stubble anywhere except your legs." He said.

Annie glared up at him - they were side by side on her bed watching an episode of the box set of "Second Chances" (authorised director's cut, not for public sale) Abed had given her. "I _never_ have stubble on my legs, Jeff - who do you think I am, Britta?"

"Britta doesn't -"

"Oh, don't you dare finish that sentence!" She elbowed him in the side, then looked down at her casts. "That said, I've no idea what's going on under there." She said sadly.

"Hey - if the worst thing you have to worry about is Sasquatch legs, I'll take that as a win."

"Me too, I suppose - and eeeew!"

"I'd much rather think about this -" She was pointing at the programme, it was the episode where Hannah had somehow persuaded Jim to model for her life art class, not telling him until the last minute that the class was painting nudes that week.

"Meh, I'm in better shape."

Annie thought back to a certain pool game, and a slow smile spread across her face. "Yes, you are. Or were, anyway."

"Hey!" But Jeff's protest was cut short as Annie made herself comfortable resting her head on his chest. He draped his arm across her shoulder instead.

XXXXXX

Annie was holding on to Jeff as hard as she could. "I'll try my hardest not to forget you were here, Jeff. I'm going to write everything up in my book and Abed's going to make sure I read it at least twice a day."

"I know you will, Annie." The deal Jeff had made with Greendale allowing him to teach remotely also required him to return for the final week before Spring Break - he was flying back to Denver airport as soon as he left the hospital and would be returning at the start of the vacation. "And you'll be fine, Shirley is coming back tomorrow and Troy will be here the day after, and Abed isn't going anywhere so long as he still has scripts to write. You'll have plenty of company."

Annie looked up at him, her eyes huge and soft. "Say it one last time before you go, Jeff." She said. "I was working on my memory book before you came in." She added in response to his surprised expression.

"I love you, Annie Edison." He said, kissing her softly on her forehead below the hairline.

She smiled sadly back at him. "Bye Jeff, see you soon."

"And you, Annie." Jeff turned and walked out the room. Abed came forward from the far corner of the room where he'd been waiting.

"Why do you never say it back?" He asked.

"Don't I?" She said, but she didn't sound very surprised. "I guess I want to remember the first time I say it," she added sadly.

XXXXXX

(From Annie Edison's memory book)

20 March 2021

12:27

 _Abed just told me I've been here for twenty seven days now and it yet it feels like it was only minutes ago that I was stepping into the car to go and make an arrest. He also said that he and Jeff have been here all this time, though Jeff will shortly be leaving to go back to Greendale. I don't remember Jeff being here at all, and yet the thought of him going terrifies me, then I read back through this book and understand why. He said he loved me, so many times? I don't believe it. Why would he do it now when I can't remember? Or is that why he does it, is he back to playing games with my feelings or does he think it will boost the silly little girl's morale somehow? I'm going to ask him to say it again before he leaves and look him in the eye as he says it. If I don't see his heart in it I'm going to tell Abed not to let him back._

 _14:15_

 _Twenty seven days it says above. The last time I was in a hospital for that long was when I was in rehab. I was on my own in a plain white room, fighting withdrawal from Adderall knowing I had no friends and family left in the world. I remember thinking at the time that I wasn't afraid to die because I was already in Hell. I was wrong. That wasn't Hell, this_

 _14:29_

 _So Jeff came in and I followed through on my plan, which I have no memory of writing down for all it was only two hours ago, and asked him to say the words again. I looked into his eyes and I thought I saw his heart there. But was it just a reflection of mine? Abed asked me why I didn't say it back. I told him it was because I didn't want to forget saying it, but it's actually because I don't want him to be able to pretend I didn't say it. There's no going back from this now, when I come out of here we either see if there's something real here or we never see each other again. I can live with trying and failing, but not trying is no longer an option. There will be no Annie of it all this time, I am no longer the girl who was happy taking whatever he was prepared to give. We go forward on my terms or not at all. I hope when future Annie reads this she agrees with me even if she can't remember the feelings behind it._

 _(Copied from previous page)_

 _Things to do:_

 _Memory exercises on tablet.  
_ _Logic puzzles.  
_ _Read poetry book and note the longest I can read without forgetting the beginning.  
_ _Read this book again._

XXXXXX

 _ **Author's note:**_ _Amnesia is a very serious and scary medical condition. I've tried to portray it as accurately and respectfully as I can based on my personal research while still trying to tell a story people hopefully want to read. If anybody reading this has experienced it and feels I've trivialised it, I can only apologise and confirm that that was not the intention._


	17. 17 - They Say Elephants Never Forget

Chapter 17 - They Say Elephants Never Forget

Britta met Jeff at Denver airport - in a moment of madness, he'd given his friend the keys to the Jaguar when she returned, convinced by the argument it would save on parking fees. Ever since, every time he checked his email he'd been dreading a notification that she'd crashed it somehow. She took one look at him as he walked through the Arrivals gate and enveloped him in a hug.

"What the hell was that for?"

"You looked like you needed it, Jerkass."

"Thanks, Britta."

"What, no witty comeback? You really are off your game, Winger." She threaded her arm through his and they headed off in the direction of the parking lot. "Any improvement?" She asked quietly.

Jeff sighed. "Abed thinks there is, around the edges. She's no longer surprised to see us every day and she doesn't have to be prompted to read her memory book anymore, but actual stuff? No, not really."

Britta squeezed his arm in sympathy. _I've never seen him look this defeated before. Not even when he was trying to drink himself into an early grave._

"This is Annie, Jeff." She said quietly. "She's not like us. When the universe throws crap at her she just throws it back again with a smile. She's beaten everything that's happened so far, she'll beat this too."

"Some things are too big even for Annie, Britta."

"Maybe, but this isn't one of them. You've got to believe that." Britta wasn't sure she believed that, but she was sure it was what he needed to hear and so she put friendship above honesty.

Jeff smiled sadly at her. "I'm glad you're my friend, Britta."

"Okay - this is just creepy." She smirked back at him. "We're going out to a bar tonight and I'm going to pour scotch down your throat until I get Captain Douchebag back."

Jeff actually managed to chuckle slightly at that. "What about your boyfriend?"

"Ian can babysit and watch the boxset of that terrible British sitcom he thinks I don't know he bought."

XXXXXX

"Aaaaargh!" Annie screamed in frustration as she threw her memory book across the room.

Abed looked up, closed his laptop and got up to collect the book. "What's the matter, Annie?" He said to his friend.

"It's so frustrating! It feels like I've only been here for minutes, and yet according to that book it's over a month now – apparently you've been here all that time and Jeff was here until last Friday, and I don't remember _any_ of it. It's like "Groundhog Day", except you're Bill Murray and I'm everybody else!" Annie pressed her hands to her forehead and tried to massage away her stress headache.

"I read that memory book – apparently I read it several times a day –" she looked at Abed as though asking a question. He nodded. "And it's in my handwriting and my style, but none of it feels real." She sounded tired and disillusioned. "I mean, apparently Jeff and I have had this big romantic thing going on, and the 'me' who wrote that book seems to swing wildly between being deliriously happy and afraid he's only doing it because he can change his mind and pretend it never happened when I recover."

"If that was all it was Annie, he would have stopped when he realised you were writing it down."

Annie smiled at him for the first time since she had started talking. "That's a nice thought, Abed – but I just wish I could remember any of it. Heck, I'd settle for remembering that we had mac and cheese for dinner last night!" She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples again, not noticing Abed's eyes go wide.

"Annie," he said. "This is a really important question – did you just pull that example out of thin air at random?"

"Of cour-" Annie stopped suddenly, then started concentrating fiercely. "Wait – _did_ we have mac and cheese for dinner last night?" She suddenly looked excited. "We did, didn't we?"

Abed nodded, and walked over to the telephone on the wall. "I'm calling Doctor Ryan."

XXXXXX

Jeff felt his phone vibrate. He took it out and looked at the message:

 _ **From: Abed**_

 _ **To: Jeff, Britta, Shirley, Troy**_

 _ **Annie remembered what she had for dinner last night.**_

Jeff gasped as though punched in the stomach. He took a deep breath and tried to call Abed back, only to get an engaged tone. _I wonder whose reflexes were faster than mine?_ He thought.

XXXXXX

"Damn glad to have you back, Winger." Duncan said as Jeff slipped into the opposite side of the booth at Morty's.

Jeff raised an eyebrow and smirked as he picked up a menu. "Is there a particular reason for that, or are you just acknowledging my natural charisma?"

"Ever since Britta came back without you it's been a choice between rabbit food or coming here with Pelton." Duncan shuddered.

"There's a whole college full of –"

"You don't understand," Duncan talked over him. "Ever since my beautiful, opinionated girlfriend returned without you and kicked him so hard he was coughing up his own nadgers for the stunt he pulled with the TV News he's been living in terror of what you'll do on return. He's been begging me at every opportunity since to intercede for him." He put on a high pitched voice. "Ian, you must help – Jeffrey will never forgive me!"

"And are you interceding for him?" Jeff's voice acquired a grim tone.

"God, no. The ghastly little imp got what he deserved." The Englishman replied cheerfully. "In the unlikely event you need someone to hold him down while you put the shoe in on your own account feel free to call."

Jeff smiled at that. "Thanks Ian, I'll bear it in mind. Fourteen ounce T-Bone with green salad, no fries," A waitress had turned up to take their order. "And mineral water, thanks." Jeff regarded accompanying Duncan on his weekly flights from Britta's vegetarianism as essentially charitable work, and in the same spirit he refrained from drinking in front of the reformed alcoholic on these occasions. The waitress gave him a brilliant smile and turned to Duncan and took his order.

"That's the other thing," Duncan said dryly. "We get served much more quickly when I'm out with you than when I'm out with Pelton."

Jeff smirked as though it was no more than his due. "Well, look on the bright side – you'll be able to eat whatever you want for the whole of Spring Break when Britta and I go back to DC on Saturday morning."

Duncan's face went dreamy. "I'll have bacon for breakfast – every day, and pepperoni on my pizzas. It'll almost be worth little Ian going on an enforced break."

Jeff had no intention of asking who "little Ian" was.

"That's what I call my penis." Duncan fake whispered the answer anyway.

Perhaps it was down to to all the thinking about relationships he'd been doing since Annie's accident, but he suddenly found himself blurting out a question that had puzzled him on and off for some time now. "And you really have no objection to the two of us going off together?"

"What?" Duncan seemed astonished by the question. "If there's one man in this world she's never going to sleep with again it's _you,_ old boy. You've been well and truly friendzoned ever since she analysed your relationship and decided you're basically brother and sister. So unless you decide you're Lannisters then I'm pretty safe – that said, you do look creepily like Jaime and Cersei," he snarked, then he went thoughtful for a moment. "Now if Barnes was out there…"

"Gee thanks, Ian."

Duncan grinned suddenly. "And besides, Britta says I'm better at sex than you are. _Much_ better."

"According to Britta, everybody is." Jeff grumbled.

"Not something I'd boast about in public if I were you, old chap."

XXXXXX

Jeff had been back at Greendale for a few days and was looking at the group email he'd received with some trepidation.

 _ **Abed: Guys, you need to click on this link straight away.**_

Feeling somewhat nervous, Jeff clicked on it and –

" _Troy and Abed –"_

" _And Annie!"_

" _-In the Mooorning!"_

The boys were sitting either side of Annie on her bed with mock serious expressions on their faces while she conspicuously failed to hide a delighted smile.

" _Well Troy, I don't know about you, but I'm stoked to be back for this special tenth anniversary edition of the show."_

" _Yes Abed – I'm super excited to be back here after a five year hiatus with our special guest hostess Annie Edison."_

" _Hi guys! Glad you could make it!"_

Jeff swore if Annie's legs hadn't been in casts she would have bounced with excitement at that point. _I thought you guys had grown out of this nonsense._ Jeff sighed to himself, then it struck him –

 _They're doing this for Annie to watch when she forgets Troy's visit._

Troy was in DC for precisely five days between returning from Japan and heading off on a publicity tour of Germany that was supposed to launch Smilin' Menace's breakthrough into Europe.

("They want me to rap in German, Jeff!" He'd said when Jeff spoke to him on the phone the previous evening.

You'll pull it off, David Hasselhoff." Jeff had replied.)

Unfortunately Troy's visit to Annie had coincided with the time Jeff had to return to Greendale so Jeff hadn't been able to meet him – instead, he settled back with a soft smile and watched the Apartment 303 gang goof around.

XXXXXX

Jeff had time to pack before flying out this time. Accordingly, he had two cases - a large suitcase and a suit carrier, containing his best courtroom suit. He'd been thinking over the last few days away from Annie, and a certain resolve had hardened inside him. He picked up his phone, scrolled down the contact list and pressed the number he was looking for.

"Atal? Hi - Jeff Winger here. Can you do me a favour? I need you to set up a few meetings for me..."

They were still talking fifteen minutes later when Jeff heard a knock on his door. "Sorry buddy, but I've got to go - my ride to the airport has just turned up. Thanks for everything, and I'll see you at the hospital. Bye, Atal."

Jeff went and opened the door. "Hiya, munchkin," he said with a smile - Britta was outside, holding hands with Taylor. The little girl beamed up at him and waved.

"Are you ready, Jeff?" Britta said.

Jeff nodded. "I'll just get my bags. Ian?"

"In the car."

XXXXXX

Duncan drove them all to the airport, said goodbye in the drop off zone - a handshake for Jeff, hugs for Britta and Taylor - then gave them one last wave and drove off. They went to the check in desk where Jeff paid an excess baggage charge with minimal grace while Britta snarked at him for packing more clothes than two girls and Taylor giggled. It was Taylor's first flight and she was bouncing with excitement so she got the window seat, with Britta next to her and Jeff on the aisle so he got to stretch his legs a little.

The flight was uneventful and they were met by Abed at the other end, Taylor looked at him curiously until he launched into an impersonation of a baby eating monster that had her in fits of giggles.

"Any changes?" Jeff asked quietly after the fuss and chaos had died down a little.

"She's remembering more things," Abed said. "Occasionally she'll remember what she had for dinner the night before, or turn off a DVD because she's seen it before."

"That's good, right?"

"She's getting very frustrated." Abed replied in his usual flat monotone. "It's almost worse than when she simply didn't remember things - now she knows she can and is frustrated that it's not consistent. She's lost her temper a few times."

 _Damn._ Jeff thought, _two steps forward, one step back._ "Is there anything else we need to know?"

"She's back in surgery this afternoon."

" _What?_ Why?" Britta said, a heartbeat ahead of Jeff.

"it's nothing too serious - the broken bones in her legs haven't set straight in a couple of places so they need to be re-broken and set again if she's ever to walk without a limp."

Oh man, that sucks." Jeff sighed. Abed just nodded.

XXXXXX

Abed took them straight to the hospital in order to catch Annie before she went back into surgery and to her room in the neurology department, where she had been moved after being discharged from the ICU. She was sitting in a chair chatting to Shirley when everybody arrived - squeals, tears, hugs, chaos and confusion arose as everybody tried to talk at the same time. Not only was Annie sitting up, but she didn't have casts on any more - they'd been removed to x-ray her legs and replaced with braces over trousers. (Jeff remembered a conversation about Sasquatch legs, but couldn't think of a tactful way to raise the subject.) That wasn't the main point of conversation though.

"What happened to your hair?"

"Britta!"

"Bite me, Jeff - I didn't say it was a bad thing, she rocks the Audrey Hepburn look." Britta smiled at Annie, who smiled back.

"I had brain surgery, Britta." Annie answered. "They shaved my head for the operation." The others all looked at her. "What? I remember reading it in my book."

"Sorry Annie - but hey, enough of the apologies, you're remembering things!" Britta may have been brazenly trying to distract attention from her own mis-step, but she still got a round of cheerful mumbles of agreement. "I'm surprised Abed hasn't had you trying on wigs though -" She stopped as Abed pulled out a bag from behind Annie's chair.

"The long blonde one particularly suits her," he said, pulling the offending item out of the bag. "It goes with her blue eyes." He passed it to Annie, who ran her fingers round the underside and eased it on to her head. Taylor, who had been hanging back shyly, giggled suddenly at the transformation. Annie smiled directly at Jeff, who smiled back.

 _Yeah, that look works._

Shirley noticed the unspoken exchange. "Oh, you two are _not_ starting that already - he's only been here five minutes!"

"We're not -"

"Sorry, Shirley."

 _Don't tell me Shirley's read that book!_ Jeff thought to himself. _Who am I kidding - of course she has._ Jeff suddenly found himself thinking that Britta was probably the only one there who hadn't - and she'd get the highlights as soon as Shirley got her alone for at least five minutes. _So much for keeping it low key until after Annie got better._

XXXXXX

"Nice suit, Jeff. Going somewhere?" Annie said with a big smile on her face as she looked him up and down. Jeff smiled back, appreciating the regard.

"Is _that_ why you stayed behind at the house-" before leaving, Troy had taken out a three month lease on a four bedroom furnished townhouse in Georgetown and paid up front "- after the rest of us left?" Britta said. "You were making yourself pretty?"

"Yes Britta, that's _exactly_ what I was doing," Jeff said in a voice heavy with sarcasm. Now if you don't mind guys, I need to speak to Annie for a moment. In private."

But-"

"Please, Britta."

Britta grumbled but picked up Taylor, who had been happily drawing on Annie's new cast, and walked out. Shirley gave Jeff a suspicious glare as she followed the therapist out, Abed just nodded slightly as he left.

"There's a couple of meetings I need to go to and I need to be a lawyer, so I'm wearing battledress." Jeff said after the door had closed, pointing at his suit. "But first I need you to sign something." He took a form out of his briefcase and passed it to her. Annie had a puzzled expression on her face.

"This is formally appointing you as my lawyer, Jeff. Why do I need to do that?"

"Well firstly, the people at the hospital pretty much think I am already..."

"Jeeeeffff…" Annie crossed her arms over her chest and put a distinctly dangerous expression on her face.

"And secondly, there's something I'm working on - can you keep a secret?"

"Of course I can!"

"Even from yourself?"

Annie looked puzzled for a moment, then her eyes flicked to the book on her lap. "You don't want me to write this down in my memory book, do you?"

Jeff shrugged apologetically. "I don't want to promise you something and then disappoint you if it doesn't come off."

Annie looked at him, then came to a decision. "Deal," she said. Jeff relaxed slightly, and explained what he was planning. At the end of it, Annie was smiling. "And what is my lawyer going to charge me for these services?"

Jeff smiled back at her. "Dinner, a place of my choosing. Me in a sharp suit, you in a nice dress. followed by cocktails and maybe some dancing. I'll be paying."

Annie's eyes went wide. "Did you just ask me out _on a date_ Jeff?" Jeff's smile went even wider, but Annie's face fell.

"I can't write this in my memory book either, can I?"

Jeff was positively grinning now. "As I said Annie, I want it to be a surprise."

Annie scowled at him, though her eyes were shining. She took her pen and signed Jeff's form.

XXXXXX

(Offices of the Federal Employees Health Benefit Program)

Jeff smiled his thanks at the smartly dressed secretary who showed him into the Account Manager's room.

"What can I do for you, Mr Winger?" The owl-faced man behind the desk said. Jeff handed over a business card.

"Professor Winger, my apologies."

"I'm here on behalf of my client, Special Agent Annie Edison, currently recovering in George Washington University Hospital from injuries sustained in the line of duty."

The other man nodded, warily. "I'm aware of the case."

Jeff bared his teeth in a way that could be mistaken for a smile. "Excellent - we wish to discuss with you some proposals we have for Ms Edison's future care and therapy once she leaves the hospital…"

XXXXXX

(Later that day)

After seeing the Federal bureaucrat, Jeff had moved on to a meeting with the hospital administrators about the next stage of Annie's care and was now walking down a corridor towards Annie's room with the carefree smile of a gambler who had pushed his luck only to see the cards fall his way. On a whim, he'd decided to pop in to see Annie for a quick visit before going back to the house and changing for his overnight stay. _She liked the suit after all, might as well cheer her up,_ he thought with a cocky smile on his face.

"Hi Annie," he said cheerfully. "Hi Abed," his friend nodded, then went back to typing in his chair next to Annie's bed.

"Hi Jeff, how did your meeting go?" Annie put down the poetry book she was reading.

"It went really - wait? _What_? You remember?"

Annie frowned as she tried to concentrate. "I remember you coming in, and I think I signed something, but if you told me what was going on I don't remember." She let out a frustrated sigh. "I'm still not getting proper memories, just flashes that don't always seem real."

Jeff sat next to her and took hold of her hand - Abed had stopped typing and was now watching - "it means you're getting better. Focus on that." Jeff said.

"Yeah, I know. It's just -" she sighed. They sat silently for a moment, Jeff not letting go of her hand.

"I'm sorry, but I've got to go. I need to change out of this suit and into something more casual, but I'll be be back soon - it's my turn to stay the night."

Annie smiled at him. "You go, Jeff. I can't ask you to sleep in a suit like that." Her smile broadened if anything. "It's _waaay_ too sharp for that. A girl would need to wear a _really_ nice dress to deserve to be seen with a guy in a suit like that..."

 _Oh damn,_ Jeff thought to himself. _Just how much did she remember?_ He couldn't help smiling just a little as he walked out though.

XXXXXX

In addition to her bed, Annie's room in the Neurology department had a bedside table, a small bookshelf, a noticeboard (with a big sign at the top saying "Annie Edison's Memory Wall") covered in pictures of her posing with visitors, a TV and a foldaway bed – the rest of the group had a rule that Annie would never be left on her own overnight in case she woke up and didn't know where she was. Last night had been Jeff's turn, and he'd packed away the bed and blanket and was sitting next to Annie's bed having breakfast when a storm broke.

"Auntie Annie! Uncle Jeff!" Taylor had burst through the door, climbed onto a chair and jumped onto Annie's bed screaming excitedly, only narrowly avoiding her cast. "We're going to the Zoo!"

"Careful, munchkin," Jeff said, trying to prevent the breakfast being spilled by a hyperactive four year old.

"What's this about the Zoo, guys?"Annie said as the others came in.

"You've been here for over a month now, even if you don't remember any of it. You need some fresh air," Abed said. "And now you can go about in a wheelchair the hospital has agreed you can have a supervised trip out."

"And as soon as somebody mentioned the Zoo Taylor wouldn't let us discuss anything else." Britta said dryly, smiling at her daughter who stuck a tongue out at her.

"But I don't have anything to wear -" Jeff and Annie said simultaneously.

"Shut up, Jeff." Britta said mildly. "We know you have an overnight bag, and we've brought along that ridiculous Burberry jacket you think you look hot in."

"I look hot in _anything_ Britta," Jeff said, offended.

"And as for _you,_ Annie," Shirley said, interrupting the bickering. "The last time your friend Shakti visited she brought a suitcase of your stuff - we've got some of your things with us." Shirley didn't mention that Shakti had brought the case to the hospital and Annie had hugged and thanked her at the time. Instead she handed over a bag she was carrying.

"Thanks guys," Annie said, rummaging through the bag. "Wait - what's this?" She said, pulling out something gray and baggy.

"We thought you'd need something to keep your legs warm, and none of your stuff was big enough to go over your casts - so we grabbed a pair of Jeff's exercise shorts. That's okay by you, isn't it Jeff?" Britta was grinning openly now.

Jeff's smile was rather more fixed and glassy, as he pictured his fifty dollar shorts being hopelessly stretched out of shape. "Yes Britta, that's fine." He grated out.

"Good - now scram. You too Abed, we need to get madam here dressed."

XXXXXX

"This is going to be a running gag."

"Shut up, Abed."

The group had wheeled Annie down to the car park, where the debate on how to get Annie into the vehicle had been abruptly ended when Jeff had simply picked her up and eased her into the front seat. Annie had blushed slightly and smiled her thanks.

"And not a word from you either, Britta."

"What?" She looked outraged. "I wasn't going to say -" Jeff was looking at her with a _how long have we known each other?_ face as she ground to a halt.

"Well, you would have deserved it." She humphed.

The performance got repeated when they arrived at the Zoo, parked in the accessible parking area and got out of the car.

("Running gag."

"Shut up, Abed.")

 _This could get pretty tiresome._ Jeff thought as the others looked him over as he started pushing Annie's wheelchair. "You're reading something into _this_?" He said. "We'll be taking it in turns - I'm just getting mine in before this thing is loaded down with bags and souvenirs."

"If you say so, Jeffery."

" Whatever you say Jeff."

"Oooh _suuuure_ …"

XXXXXX

(Pictures on Annie Edison's Memory Wall)

\- Taylor sitting on Jeff's shoulders to see over the crowd at the panda enclosure, Britta holding one of her hands to keep her steady.

("Aaaaw, isn't that sweet," Shirley said.

"That Ship sailed long ago," Abed said in his usual flat tone of voice.

"I'm sure I've no idea what you mean." Shirley humphed, neither of them noticed the conflicted expression on Annie's face.)

\- Annie and Jeff sitting side by side on the Conservation Carousel; he's glaring at the camera, she's beaming at it.

("Shut up, Abed." Jeff said as he picked Annie up and put her on a bench seat disguised as a kangaroo.

"I didn't say anything."

"You were about to." Abed considered this for a moment and shrugged slightly.

Everybody else mounted a wooden animal as Jeff moved to one side.

"What's the matter, Jeff - too cool for the carousel?" Britta snarked.

"Bite me -"

"There's plenty of space next to me, Jeff." Annie said, patting the bench she was sitting on. Jeff looked her straight in the eyes, sighed and sat down next to her.)

\- Annie looking into the elephant enclosure with a pensive expression on her face.

("What's the matter, honey?" Shirley said when she noticed the look on Annie's face.

Annie seemed to snap out of it and smiled up at Shirley. "Oh, nothing - I just never expected to be jealous of something that eats with it's nose."

Shirley frowned slightly in puzzlement.

"They say elephants never forget." Annie said, sadly.

"Oh honey - you'll get better." Shirley closed in for a hug.

Shirley mentioned this to Jeff. The next time they passed a concession stand he bought Annie a stuffed elephant, she beamed a huge smile and hugged him when he presented it, Shirley could barely hold back tears.)

\- At the kid's farm, Annie with a baby alpaca curled up on her lap while Taylor stroked it.

("No darling, you can't play with the baby animals until after we've eaten lunch." Britta had said as they settled down in the picnic area next to the kid's farm.

"Aaaaaw, mommy -"

" _No_ Taylor."

The four year old waited precisely ten seconds, then -

"Uncle Jeeeeeffff…"

Jeff waited for a heartbeat, then gulped slightly. "Sorry Munchkin, listen to your mother." Taylor stamped her foot and looked like she was about to throw a tantrum when Annie called her over.

"You've got some nice moves kid, but I can teach you how to use those eyes so that uncle Jeff never says no to you ever again…" she fake-whispered.

"Don't you dare, Annie.")

XXXXXX

It was the end of the day and they'd arrived back at the hospital and Jeff was lifting Annie out of the car and trying not to think that it was a pleasing side effect of Annie's condition that he got exactly the same shy but pleased smile the tenth time he did it as he did the first.

Annie suddenly seemed to register where they were when she was settled in her wheelchair, and a frown spread across her face. "Why have we come to the hospital, guys?"

The others all looked at each other with dismayed expressions on their faces. "Oh honey -" Shirley said at last.

XXXXXX

Fortunately, Annie's sense of place came back as they got closer to her room and she stopped expressing surprise as to where she was. The group hung around for a while longer and ate dinner by Annie's bed, but it was getting late and Annie's first day out of the hospital had tired her out. Leaving Britta behind - it was her turn to spend the night with Annie - the others exchanged hugs and goodbyes and headed back to the house.

They talked for a while. Jeff and Abed had warned Britta to stick to the past or the future as subjects, as Annie's grip on the present was too tenuous. So they reminisced about Greendale, especially the first year when their friendship was closest.

("Do you remember that time we went to the Mall and you drove the sales assistant nuts by trying on half the store and only buying one cardigan?" Britta had said.

Annie grinned back. "She was one of the Queen Bees at Riverside High. She didn't recognise little Annie Adderall, but oh - I recognised her!"

"It's always the sweet ones that are most dangerous, isn't it?")

After a while though, Annie got tired, said her apologies and laid herself down to sleep. Britta unpacked the folding bed, kicked off her boots and jeans and pulled a blanket over herself and browsed on her phone until she was sure Annie had fallen asleep. She managed to hold out for another ten minutes, then curiosity about some things Shirley had said overwhelmed her and she tip-toed over to Annie's bedside table and picked up the memory book. She positioned herself in the light from the door and started to read.

 _Oh Jeff - you've gone too far this time. If you try to row back from this, she'll never forgive you._

 _None of us will._

XXXXXX

(The next morning)

"Britta, are you awake?" Annie was shaking Britta's shoulder. Britta opened her eyes blearily.

"Am now. Wazza matter?"

"I remember seeing elephants, Britta. _Elephants!_ Did we go to the Zoo yesterday?"

Britta opened her eyes wide.

"Yes Annie, we went to the Zoo. What else do you remember?"

"There were pandas, and a carousel ride, and I may have promised to show Taylor how to manipulate Jeff…"

"Yeah, we are so holding you to that one." Britta smiled.

"Is this any different to how I used to be Britta? Am I getting better?" Annie seemed to be on the verge of tears now.

"I don't know. It looks like it but - I'm going to get the specialist. Just a minute - " Britta dived for the phone on the bedside table.

XXXXXX

"If her memory keeps improving at it's current rate, by the time you return Ms Edison should be ready for discharge." Doctor Ryan said.

Jeff and Britta (and Taylor) were getting ready to go back to Greendale, Jeff would be returning the following Friday. He had expected to be teaching remotely again the week after, but it was now starting to sound like he may not have to.

"Will everything be ready at your end?"

Jeff nodded. "I'll make sure it is, doctor."

The doctor smiled briefly, said her farewells and left, annotating her tablet as she went.

"What's happening at your end, Jeff?" Annie said. Her memory was improving so fast it was getting easy to forget how much she was still forgetting.

"The spare room in my apartment is being fitted with a hospital bed Annie, and equipment to help with your therapy. You're living with me until it's safe for you to live on your own."

"Shouldn't you have discussed this with me first, Jeff?" Annie frowned, then adopted a puzzled expression. "Or have we already?"

"You should check your memory book for yesterday." Jeff had an apologetic expression on his face.

"Oh…" Annie said.

"we'll be watching you like a hawk to make sure he behaves himself." Britta said with a stern expression on her face.

Annie blushed slightly. "I'm sure that won't be necessary, Britta."

Britta winked at her. "Better safe than sorry." Then she stepped forward and took her friend in a good, long hug. "See you back at Greendale, Annie. Come on darling," she held out a hand for Taylor, who dived in for a hug of her own before following her mother out of the room, leaving Jeff and Annie alone.

"Well…"

"Well…"

They just looked at each other, neither knowing quite what to say.

Annie looked down, becoming fascinated by the sight of her fingers flexing. "I was reading my memory book before you came in." She said quietly. "It looks like you haven't said the words for quite some time now." _Please don't tell me I was right when I wrote down my fears that you were only doing it because you thought it was safe while I couldn't remember, and now that my memory's coming back…_

Jeff was slightly shocked by the expression on her face. _I stopped saying it because you never said it back,_ he thought. But he also thought he didn't want to end his time with Annie with that discussion, so instead he reached down, took hold of one her hands, raised it to his lips and kissed it gently. "Milady." She suddenly looked up at him, a surprised expression on her face.

"I promised myself - I promised us - the next time I said it would be when we could be sure you would remember it." _Or when I could be sure you felt the same way._ He didn't mention an hour long argument after Britta and Shirley had confronted him over what they'd read in Annie's memory book. "Words are cheap, especially from me."

"Oh Jeff, I didn't mean -"

Jeff kissed her gently. "Put that in your memory book," he said with a grin. Annie smiled shyly back at him. "I really do have to go," he said sadly. "But I'll be back next Friday." He closed in for a long hug. "I'll see you, Annie." He said as they separated.

"And you, Jeff."

Jeff stepped outside the room where Britta, Taylor, Shirley and Abed were waiting. Jeff stepped up to Shirley for a long hug. "Thanks for everything, momma bear. Come to Greendale as soon as you can, okay?" Shirley would be returning to Atlanta in a couple of days time, leaving Abed on his own with Annie.

"Count on it, you be good to her okay?" Shirley managed to make it sound like more of a threat than a blessing. Jeff turned to Abed and smiled softly.

"When you write the script for the movie adaptation of all this, make sure I make some clever reference at this point to a duty faithfully performed, a long watch soon to be over - I'm sure you know the sort of thing."

Abed nodded slightly. "Heimdall at the Bridge."

Jeff shuddered slightly. "Anything other than those boring ass Marvel movies." Then he smiled and hugged Abed too. "Thanks, buddy."

"Are you ready to go yet Jeff, or is there anybody else you need to hug?" Britta was rolling her eyes at her friend's sudden display of sentimentality.

"I'm ready, Britta." They both waved goodbye one last time and started walking out. Taylor squealed suddenly as he hoisted her onto his shoulders, then waved back at Abed and Shirley with one hand while clinging onto Jeff with the other. "Have you warned Ian we're on our way back yet?"

"Not yet, why?"

"He'll need plenty of warning to scrub all the bacon fat off the pots and pans in your kitchen."

"Eeeew."

XXXXXX

Jeff spent his first week back at Greendale as though on autopilot - he'd go in, give lectures, hold meetings, mark papers, and go home again retaining barely a memory of his day. He only seemed to come alive in the evening when he'd log into his Skype account, call Abed and spend five minutes chatting to him and almost an hour chatting to Annie. They would talk about how much she was remembering, his plans for moving her to Greendale, the longer term therapy she would be undertaking and all the time he would be paying more attention to the glow of excitement that shone from her as she looked forward to leaving the hospital.

Friday came round, and Jeff was in a taxi on his way to the airport as soon as his last class of the day wound up. Another taxi at the other end got him to the hospital, where Annie and Abed were talking in her room. Happy greetings and hugs were exchanged, then Abed excused himself, saying he'd barely been back to the house all week and needed to pack up if they were flying tomorrow.

"He's coming back as far as Greendale with us," Annie said. "Something about staying until the natural end point of this story arc." Annie smiled triumphantly at remembering the simple details.

"That sounds like Abed," Jeff smiled, just ridiculously happy to see Annie smiling.

"He'll spend a few days with his dad and then fly on to California, he's got meetings he can't postpone any longer." She added.

Jeff looked hesitant for a moment. "You are sure coming to Greendale is what you want? You're not just doing it because you didn't feel well enough to tell me to pound sand?"

Annie looked resolute. "It's like this," she said. "I'm going to need a lot of support if I'm to get past this. I've got friends here who are willing to help - Atal's been a true partner, Shakti's a sweetheart and the guys from work have been solid - but I need family to help me through this. The sort of family who will travel halfway across country to help someone they've barely seen in five years."

"Annie -"

"So you see, I'm exploiting the people who will help me without asking the cost. I'm being really selfish," she smiled sadly at him. "I've finally gotten good at it, Jeff."

Jeff's mind went back to the same place hers was, to the very first stand up argument they'd had, which was also the first time in his life that he'd felt worse about winning an argument than losing one. _Even then, you somehow got under my skin._ He thought.

He smiled back at her. "And so, the pupil becomes the master." He said dryly.

Annie smiled brightly back at him, then her smile faded. "I just wish my real family…" her voice petered out sadly.

Jeff looked at her. _This another of those conversations we've had several times before._ He said to himself, but didn't allow anything to reach the surface.

"Atal told me a couple of weeks ago that the FBI had tracked them down," he said instead. "They didn't cover themselves in glory."

Annie looked him straight in the eye with a stern expression on her face, exactly the same expression the last two times Jeff had told this story. "Tell me," she said.

"They found Anthony first," he said. "He moaned that he couldn't afford to travel, but did at least ask how you were and has phoned the hospital a few times. Then they found your mother, she thanked them for the information but said you'd made the decision years ago about how involved you wanted her to be in your life and she was going to respect that however much it pained her."

Annie scowled. "I hate to say it, but that sounds like her."

"Yeah," Jeff said. "Even Atal said it was a class act on her part - being told that her daughter was fighting for her life, only to turn it around to be about her pain."

"Then they found your father." Annie looked up sharply. "He was the real prize - turns out he's remarried, with three kids, and hasn't even told his new wife he was married before, never mind that he has kids from that marriage. He told the FBI agent to leave and never come back."

"Well, all I can say is I'm glad I've got you guys." She said firmly, them smiled again. "Come on, let's watch the "Second Chance" DVDs Abed gave me."

 _They may still be new to you, but I've sat through them three times already now._ Jeff thought to himself. Instead, he grinned. "Can we see the one where Bryony and Hannah get into a fight over Dark Mark?" He said.

"Pervert." She grinned back at him.

XXXXXX

As they'd done several times before, even if Jeff was the only one who remembered, Annie made room on her bed so that Jeff could lay alongside her while they watched the DVDs on Annie's laptop. They watched the episode Jeff asked for and they also, at Annie's insistence, watched the episode where Jim was fooled into modelling nude. Then they watched the debate episode and the season finale, which they both liked. Before it finished, Jeff realised Annie had fallen asleep, her head resting on his chest and her hand on his stomach. Moving as little as possible so as not to disturb her, he closed the laptop down and settled back, resting his head on a pillow and an arm across her shoulders. _I'll just wait a few minutes to make sure she's properly asleep before moving to the pullout,_ he thought.

XXXXXX

Abed found them like that the following morning. He smiled slightly and nodded, for all the world like somebody who was satisfied to see a plan come together. Then he went to the Starbucks next to the cafeteria and fetched three coffees, by the time he got back they were sitting up in bed, not saying anything but looking at each other with confused smiles that seemed to say _I don't know what happened there, but it was nice._ "Morning guys," he said. "I brought coffee."

"Good morning, Abed!"

"Thanks buddy."

They helped Annie pack the few things that had not already been packed the day before, by the time they finished Doctor Ryan had come round to check a few final details.

"Your records have been transferred to University of Colorado Hospital Denver, who will be managing your outpatient treatment and recovery. I've spoken to Doctor Lenihan, who will be in touch with you when you get back. He's very much looking forward to meeting you." The doctor paused for a moment.

"You may wish to know that your case was sufficiently interesting that it should be publishable," she said. "I'll be writing it up - suitably anonymised - and submitting it to _Neurology_ soon. I will of course let you know when it's published." She said to Annie. "I won't say it's been a pleasure to have you here, given the circumstances, but I am glad we were able to help. And your friends have been fascinating," she said dryly. "Oof."

Her breath was knocked out of her as Annie grabbed her for a hug. "Thanks for everything doctor."

They said their final goodbyes and left the hospital. For Jeff, the journey back was a reversal of the one he'd taken only the day before - taxi to the airport, boarding the aircraft (seats on the front row to accommodate Annie's casts) and disembarking at Denver airport to a welcoming committee of two.

"Britta! Professor Duncan!" Annie squealed. "Have you lost weight?"

"Bless you, my child." The Englishman replied ironically. "I can only thank Britta's cooking for that."

Britta beamed in surprise, then her expression turned into a slight frown as she realised the double-edged nature of her boyfriend's remark.

"Come on everyone," she said instead. "Let's get to the car."

They squeezed into Duncan's none-too-large hatchback and headed out of the airport. As they approached the end of the journey, a puzzled frown crossed Jeff's face. "This isn't the way to my place," he said. "This is the way to the college."

"Don't panic, old boy."

"What the hell's going on?" Jeff asked as they drove onto the campus and pulled up outside the library. But a smile was starting to creep across Annie's face.

"There's something we need to attend to in here first, old boy." Duncan said blandly.

Jeff helped Annie up the steps and through the doors. She gasped suddenly as she saw Study Room F in front of her - a big sign saying "WELCOME HOME, ANNIE" was above the door and standing in the door, cheering and applauding, were Craig, Frankie, professors Whitman, Garrity and Cligoris, Garrett (who seemed to have replaced Pierce as Greendale's eternal student) and a dozen others Annie remembered.

"Aaaw, you guys." She said, happy tears rolling down her face as Taylor ran out from behind Craig and demanded a hug.

 _ **Author's note:**_ _apologies for the length of this chapter, but I was determined to get Annie out of hospital before it ended!_


	18. Chapter 18 - Through A Glass, Darkly

The welcoming party didn't last long and managed to confine itself to the purpose of the gathering without any Greendale craziness. Annie, whose mobility was still limited by the casts on her legs and crutches, perched herself on the corner of the study room table (somewhat older and more battered now, but still the one the Study Group had made at the start of their fifth year as a symbol of new beginnings) and let the gathered worthies come to her. Jeff and Abed, who had had her to themselves since leaving the hospital in DC, held back to allow the others to say hello – Jeff in particular had a soft smile on his face as he watched her hold court.

"I've got something for you." Abed said quietly, reaching into his backpack and pulling out a small box. Jeff opened it up with a puzzled expression on his face as he saw a USB flash drive.

"Er, thanks?" He said. "What is this, Abed?"

Abed had turned back to look at Annie and didn't answer directly. "She's not going to stay in Greendale, you know. She'll rest here a while and recover her essential Annie-ness, but she's outgrown this place. She belongs in the real world now and she'll return to it, no matter what it costs her."

Jeff felt his mood turn dark. "Abed-"

His friend ignored the interruption. "And when that happens, you'll have to make a choice Jeff – let her go, or follow her. And I don't think you have the strength left to let her go again." Jeff just looked at Abed, dismayed at the direction the conversation had taken.

"So you'll be applying for jobs wherever Annie ends up." Abed carried on talking. "But your CV will still have a suspension, a four year career gap and teaching at Greendale on it. You need something that will make people take you seriously despite that."

"Gee, thanks Abed –"

Abed overrode Jeff again and pointed at the flash drive. "I saved all the lectures you delivered remotely and backed them up onto that – they were really good. When you do start looking, burn one onto a DVD and attach it to your application form so they can see for themselves that you're better than your CV."

Jeff was rendered almost speechless by his friend's foresight. "I… don't know what to say." He finally gasped out.

"Just make her happy Jeff."

"If that's what she wants." Jeff sighed. "I'm not sure there's any more of a place for me in her future now than there was the last time she left Greendale."

Abed looked hard at him, but said nothing.

XXXXXX

"This isn't where you used to live," Annie said. The party was over and Jeff had brought Annie back to his apartment.

"I upgraded after I started consulting." Jeff said as he got out of the Jag, went around to the trunk to fetch Annie's crutches and bag and helped her out of the car. "I got more square footage, a utility room to do my own laundry and a spare bedroom. Which is where you're going." He added with a cheerful grin.

She smiled back, then gritted her teeth as she levered herself onto her crutches and started to slowly swing her way over to the building entrance. Jeff slung her bag over his back and kept pace with her.

"You can wait here while I fetch the wheelchair from the apartment, you know." Jeff said.

Annie shook her head. "I need to do this, Jeff." And kept going.

By the time they'd got across the car park, through the lobby of the apartment building and up the elevator Annie was pale and trembling from the exertion and Jeff was not prepared to let her go any further. Annie looked at him with surprise as he palmed his door key, took away her crutches, put an arm around her shoulders and another behind her knees and hoisted her off the ground – she squawked with shock and frantically grabbed her crutches before they got left behind. Before Annie could get out a word of protest Jeff was already striding down the corridor.

"Put me down, you caveman!" Jeff just grinned at her. Annie's protest was not helped by the smile she couldn't quite keep off her face. There wasn't time for any more protests before they reached the door of Jeff's apartment – not willing to put Annie down, he fumbled slightly getting the key inside the lock and then pushed the door open with his foot before carrying Annie through it and shutting the door again.

"Oh Jeff," Annie said with a huge grin spreading across her face. "Do you have any idea what you've just done?" Jeff was utterly baffled at her sudden amusement and said so. "You just carried me over the threshold!" Annie explained. "This probably means we're married now, or something."

Jeff looked down at her with an unamused expression on his face. _Really, Annie? You listen to me tell you I love you for weeks, never say it back and think you can joke about it?_

Annie's good humour faded as she saw the expression on Jeff's face as he put her down to avoid dropping her. _Sheesh, Jeff! It was only a joke!_ She thought to herself, and then – _for a guy who used to say he loved me almost every day you sure don't seem to like the idea of us being together._ "I'm sorry – I made it weird, didn't I?" She said. _I was right what I wrote in my book, wasn't I? You did only say it because you thought I'd forget._

Now it was Jeff's turn to notice Annie's change of mood. "Sorry," he attempted to smile. "I was just surprised, that's all – let me show you where you'll be sleeping." Jeff walked the short distance to the spare room while Annie picked up her crutches and hobbled after him. While Jeff had been at home the previous week the bed that used to be in the spare room had been replaced with a hospital style bed, complete with adaptations so someone with limited mobility could climb in and out unaided, along with some other equipment which Jeff explained Annie's physical therapist would show her how to use. Jeff then proceeded to show Annie around the rest of the apartment.

"The apartment may be different, but isn't the furniture the same?" Annie said, trying to find something neutral to talk about.

Jeff smiled in relief at having a safe topic to talk about. "I was going to replace it this year with the fee from a consulting job that I've just finished, but that's on hold now."

"Why, what happened?"

Jeff shrugged. "Plane tickets." He said simply.

"Aaaww Jeff, you shouldn't have!"

"Hey, it was for a good cause." He said with a smile. "It's not a big deal to postpone some spending for six months. Britta made the real sacrifice – she borrowed money from her parents to pay for the first ticket and went back to work at the Vatican two nights a week to raise money to pay them back and to get the second ticket. She was so proud to give that job up too." He said, thoughtfully. "You didn't hear that though – I'm not supposed to know that, she'd hate it if you did."

Annie looked thoughtful for a moment. "Perhaps the only good thing to come out of this is finding out how much people really care," she said, looking straight at Jeff. _How much do you really care for me, Jeff?_

Jeff looked as though he was about to say something. He stopped, then started again. "Yeah – a lot of people care about you, Annie." He turned away before he could see the expression on her face. _What the heck do you want from me, Annie? I told you how I felt many times and you made it clear you didn't feel the same way – you've got no right to demand I keep at it!_

As if to get away from the tense silence, Jeff went to the kitchen area and started to clatter around preparing dinner. Annie fished out her memory book, by now she pretty much knew where to find the bit she needed. She read it through – twice – then closed the book. _I guess I'm future Annie now. I can't let down the girl who wrote this._

"I'm sorry Jeff. I'm grateful for all your work, but I promised myself I wouldn't do this."

"Do what, Annie?" _So, are we going to do this then?_ Jeff thought to himself. Ever since he'd first told Annie the full truth about how he felt about her and she'd happily accepted his confession but refused to respond in kind, Jeff had been reconciling himself to the idea that Annie did not feel the same way and that she only wanted them to be friends. Oh, friends who flirt a little, even kiss occasionally, but more than that? No. What he was not prepared to accept was the idea she seemed to have that she was entitled to his unconditional devotion while offering no more than friendship back.

Annie levered herself off the couch and stood upright with the help of one of her crutches and turned to face him. "Go back to whatever cutsey, flirty, friend thing you're clearly more comfortable with and allow you to pretend you never said what you said!"

 _You've got no right to be offended if I treat you the same way you treat me!_ Jeff carefully put the knife he was using to prepare dinner on the counter. "What the hell are you talking about Annie?"

Annie's voice was heading rapidly towards a scream. "You told me you loved me, Jeff! Not once, but a dozen or more times, day after day!" She waved her memory book at him. "I wrote down I was afraid you were only doing it to cheer me up, and you'd pretend it never happened when I got my memory back - and I was right, wasn't I?" She hobbled over towards him, Jeff hadn't moved. "The very last time it's mentioned in here -" she waved her book again "-you say you'd stopped because you wanted the next time you said it to be when my memory was back. Well, here's the thing Jeff - my memory's been coming back for almost two weeks now, and you still haven't said it!"

"Annie -"

"Can it, Jeff. Here's the thing - I'm not a nineteen year old anymore, and you're not the coolest guy in school anymore. I'm no longer prepared to take whatever breadcrumbs of affection you're prepared to scatter my way. You went too far this time, Jeff - I'm not willing to play your games anymore. I'm going to call Britta to collect me and tomorrow we'll get the insurance company to move my stuff."

Can I say something first please. Annie?" Jeff was shocked by the intensity of Annie's anger. He was expecting a certain degree of self-righteous indignation, but this much pain took him by surprise.

"Go on Jeff, impress me!" She spat out. _You played games with my heart when I was helpless! What can you possibly say?_

"You want to know why I stopped, Annie? The real reason?" Jeff hissed as he walked around the kitchen counter until he was facing her. "Because, in all the times I said it, never - not once, did you say it back."

Annie eyes opened wide in shock. _Is that true?_ She cast her - broken, still healing - memory back as far as she could across her readings of her memory book and failed to find a record of ever saying it.

"Oh you were happy enough to hear me say it," Jeff continued. "But after getting nothing back no matter how many times I said it or how I phrased it, I had to face up to the fact you don't feel the same, so I stopped. To protect myself." Jeff's expression had shifted from anger to pain. "I'm happy being your friend Annie, I really am, and I'm willing to settle for it if that's all you want - but I'm not going to stroke your ego by acting like some character out of a bad romance novel!"

"I didn't want you to act like a character out of a book - I just wanted you to be honest with me!"

Jeff's expression shifted back to anger again. "I was honest with you Annie - I put myself out there, I open myself up to you. And you gave me nothing back - nothing!"

Annie finally remembered something. "I was waiting for my memory to come back. I wanted to remember the first time I said it." She had stopped shouting.

Jeff threw his hands up in the air in disbelief. "Well, here's the thing Annie -" he threw her words back at her "- your memory's been coming back for almost two weeks now, and you still haven't said it!"

"Wait - so you really do love me?" Annie sounded cautious, unbelieving.

Jeff looked like a man who'd reached the end of his tether. "WHAT? Of course I love you, you precocious little bitch!"

Annie's face went bright red. She slapped him - hard - across the face. "I love you too, you insensitive, paranoid jackass!"

"Stuffy, entitled princess!"

"Vain, pumped up douchebag!"

Jeff looked straight at Annie – eyes wide and bright, skin flushed pink, cleavage heaving as she caught her breath – _damn, but you're hot when you're angry!_ A smile slowly spread across his face. "If Abed was directing this we'd be making out by now."

Annie was smiling too. _You look like you're about to start beating your chest and drag me back to your cave!_ "Kinda difficult with all this." She said instead as she did a handwave that encompassed her crutch and casts.

Jeff went serious again. "So, are you really leaving?"

Annie shook her head. "Not if you still want me to stay."

Jeff walked over and enveloped her in a hug. She dropped her crutch in order to wrap her arms around him. "Yeah, I'd like that." He said softly into the top of her head.

They stood like that for what seemed forever. Finally, Jeff softly kissed the top of her head and pulled away slightly. "So, how about dinner?"


	19. Chapter 19 - Walk Before You Run

(Main Lecture Theatre, Department of Law, Greendale Community College – Monday morning)

Gemma had arrived slightly early for the first ConLaw class of the week, only to see a handful of other students already outside the lecture theatre, peering through the door window.

"Shh!" Hayley said. "The professor's got a girl with him!"

Gemma shoved her friend aside and looked through the window. Inside, a small woman with short dark hair and standing up with the aid of a crutch was standing so close to Professor Winger that they were almost touching. They were both looking into each other's eyes with broad smiles on their faces – she watched as the professor reached up and ran a finger along the woman's cheekbone. He leaned forward, hesitated for a fraction then kissed her on the forehead. They separated and the woman hobbled over to one of the accessibility seats in the front row.

"She looks familiar," Gemma said. "I've seen her somewhere before."

"Picture her with much longer hair and in a black skirt suit," Hayley replied.

Gemma thought for a moment, and then it clicked. "Oh my gosh - the FBI agent?"

Hayley nodded. "Yeah, I think so. She was here at the end of January too, remember?"

"If they're just old college friends I'll eat my textbook," Gemma said.

XXXXXX

Doctor Ryan had approved the practice of Annie sitting in on Jeff's remote lectures when she had been in the hospital, saying it was good mental exercise which would help her brain to recover. Now that she was at Greendale, there was no need to rely on remote access and she had accompanied Jeff to college so she could sit in on the lectures. They were enjoying a private moment before the students arrived.

"We've got an audience, you know." Annie was smiling up at Jeff as he touched her cheek, looking for all the world as though he was about to kiss her. Jeff's eyes flicked sideways to see the growing crowd on the other side of the door window.

"This isn't the show they're paying for," he smiled back at her and kissed her softly on the forehead instead. "It's time to start anyway."

Annie nodded, turned around and made for one of the front row seats. Jeff beckoned to the crowd gathering outside the door and they started to enter, as they filtered in he made a point of arranging the papers on his desk so as to ignore the looks they were all throwing at him and Annie. Finally, with everybody in place and the door shut, he walked around the front of his desk and spoke into the unnatural silence.

"Good morning ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back from Spring Break. Before we start, I'd like to introduce you to a special guest of mine." He pointed to Annie, who turned in her seat to face the rest of the class and waved. "Special Agent Edison of the FBI is an old friend of mine and one of Greendale's most successful alumni and she will be auditing this class while she recovers from injuries received in the line of duty. I'm sure you can all be relied upon to make her feel welcome. Now, if you'll please turn to Chapter 17, this session we will be discussing the Seventh Amendment and the applicability of English Common Law…"

XXXXXXX

They fell into a pattern after that. Mornings, Annie would go into Greendale with Jeff and sit in on his lectures, meet up with her other friends if he was otherwise busy or do private work in the library. Afternoons were usually taken up with medical appointments – University of Colorado Hospital Denver twice a week for check ups on her recovery from amnesia, physical therapy twice a week and an FBI appointed therapist once a week who's job was to check for post-traumatic stress and assess Annie's emotional fitness to return to work. Evenings, Jeff would mark papers while Annie did work her therapists assigned her, then they'd have some dinner and watch TV. Most nights there would be a good night kiss which threatened to become heated until Annie apologised for the lack of mobility caused by her casts and retreat, leaving Jeff gasping.

Two weeks after returning to Greendale however Annie's routine changed.

XXXXXX

"No Jeff," Annie was threatening to raise her voice. "You can't come – Britta is taking me and she'll be here in five minutes."

The day for Annie to have her casts removed had finally arrived, and she was refusing to allow Jeff to accompany her to the hospital.

"But why Annie? I want to support you!"

"It's none of your business Jeff." Her tone of voice was going lower, more dangerous. Jeff ignored it, moving to block the apartment door.

"I have a black belt in karate, you know."

"Come on, Annie." Jeff crossed his arms across his chest and stared her down.

"Fine!" She sighed. "Ihaven'tshavedsinceFebruaryanddon'twantyouseeingwhattheylooklike." She mumbled in a voice almost too faint to hear.

"Oh,Annie," a huge grin had broken out on Jeff's face. "You're worried I won't like you any more if I see you with sasquatch legs."

"Bite me, Jeff." As his grin if anything widened, she realised that probably wasn't the most appropriate comeback.

"And besides," Annie said, seriously this time. "I want to do this for Britta."

Jeff's expression changed to a questioning one.

"I've been feeling guilty ever since you told me I wasn't allowed to tell her I knew what she went through to visit me in hospital," Annie said. "So after the casts are off we'll spend an afternoon in a beauty spa getting our legs professionally waxed, our hair done, massage, mani-pedi, cleansing, the lot. It'll be my treat."

"Britta Perry? _At a beauty spa?_ " Jeff could barely believe what he was hearing. "Wouldn't she normally be denouncing that sort of thing as a patriarchal plot to objectify women, or something?"

Annie's smile had turned crafty. "She think's she's doing it as a favour to me. 'Oh Britta'-" Annie's eyes had gone wide and her voice high pitched "-'I've been locked away in these casts for soooo long and my hair is growing back all frizzy! I know it's superficial, but I could really use the morale boost – surely as a therapist you understand? And it would help _so_ much if my best friend supported me…'" Annie was batting her eyelids.

Jeff was actually laughing now. "So it's all in the name of female solidarity, and has nothing at all to do with the fact she'll come out of it looking and feeling amazing? Damn, but you really are dangerous now, Annie." The last sentence was said in a tone of almost awed reverence.

There was a knock on the door.

"Speak of the…" Jeff said as he opened it. "Hi, Britta!"

"Jeff," Britta nodded at him. "Is Annie - ah, there you are!" Britta smiled at her friend as Annie hobbled towards the door on her crutches.

"See you later, Jeff." Annie hugged him quickly.

"And you, Annie." Jeff said as he hugged her back. "Enjoy your day submitting to sexist, patriarchal stereotyping of women as sex objects, Britta." Jeff grinned at the blonde, who was looking at Annie with a slightly betrayed expression on her face. "You _told_ him?" Then she turned back to Jeff. "It's for Annie, Jeff." She said sternly.

"Have a nice time, girls." Britta, perhaps wisely, decided not to rise to the bait this time, just letting the door close behind her and Annie.

Jeff took out his phone. "So much to do, so little time." He muttered to himself.

XXXXXX

(Jeff Winger's apartment, 5:30PM)

"Thanks for today, Britta. I really appreciated the support." Annie felt awesome as Britta dropped her off outside Jeff's door - not only was it great to have the casts off and finally be able to walk normally, but the afternoon at the spa had done its job. She'd been waxed to within an inch of her life, the increasingly frizzy mess where her hair had been growing out had been tamed into a cute pageboy bob, and she'd even had a light touch of spray tan to ensure that her legs (which had been hidden from the sun for weeks) were the same colour as the rest of her.

"You realise just how far back we've set the cause of women being valued for more than their looks today, don't you?" Britta sounded as though the complaint was something expected of her rather than deeply felt. Annie smiled.

"Yeah. You _do_ look amazing Britta. I can't believe you hated it all."

"Well -" Britta smiled bashfully "- Julio _did_ have magical hands." She said, naming the masseur who had worked on them both.

Annie had a slightly dreamy smile too - she really was feeling incredibly relaxed. "It's just a pity he's pretty obviously -"

"Gay? Not that there's anything wrong with that." Britta hastily added.

"Yes," Annie agreed. "It's just…"

"Yeah."

Annie snapped out of her reverie. "Anyway, thanks again for the day Britta - we really should do something like that again soon." She closed in and gave her friend a big hug.

"I'd like that," Britta said as the hug ended. "Have a really great evening Annie."

Annie looked slightly surprised. "I wasn't planning on doing anything other than sit in front of the TV with Jeff, but thanks - in fact, why don't you come in and say hello? I'm pretty sure he'd be impressed."

"Thanks Annie, but I've really got to go - Ian has Taylor, and I think he's trying to teach her to be British again - she asked why America didn't have a Queen the other day." Annie chuckled at that, they said their goodbyes, hugged again briefly and Britta walked off with a final wave. Annie turned and put her key in the door.

A part of her that was still young and unsure of herself was nervously excited as to how Jeff would respond when he saw the transformation, so she called out to him as she stepped into the apartment, frowning slightly as she was greeted by silence.

She stepped further into the apartment, only for her sense of puzzlement to deepen as she saw on the kitchen counter a small vase containing a single red rose standing next to an ice bucket with a quarter-bottle of champagne in it, a glass next to it and an envelope propped against it. Annie picked up the envelope and opened it. There was a message inside.

 _Pour a glass, then go into your bedroom._

 _Jx_

Annie smiled softly, though her sense of puzzlement didn't go away. She followed the instructions though, and sipping the champagne she walked into her bedroom and gasped slightly - hanging from the wardrobe door was a dress she'd never seen before. She looked at it with a critical eye - dark purple, sleeveless with spaghetti straps, probably just above knee length and with built in support and a neckline that was likely to be generous with her cleavage. On the floor were a pair of shoes she'd also never seen before, slingbacks in the exact same shade of purple as the dress and with a higher heel than she was used to, but not an impossible one. _Have you been rummaging through my stuff to find out what size I am, Jeff?_ Annie's curiosity overwhelmed her somewhat half-hearted attempt to be offended and instead she opened the envelope that had been taped to the wardrobe behind the dress.

 _Get ready. Your ride will be arriving at seven._

 _Jx_

A part of Annie - which sounded alarmingly like Britta in her head - _really_ wanted to be offended at Jeff's presumption. _He never even asked me if I wanted to go out! It would serve him right if I texted him to say I was exhausted after my day out and wanted an early night._ But there was another part of Annie - the part that struggled to remember when she'd last had a chance to put on a nice dress and go out for a fun evening and have a cute guy pay attention to her that was really tempted. (That night in January she supposed, when Shakti had refused to allow her to stay indoors with her work notes for a moment longer and had insisted on dragging her to a nightclub where they'd met Shakti's boyfriend Gulbinder and his buddy Daragh. He had been handsome, funny and charming with an Irish lilt in his voice and a good-natured glint in his eyes. Annie had paid for her own drinks and had not been the slightest bit tempted to see him again.)

 _And besides - the dress and shoes are *really* nice._ She thought to herself with an inner smile. And then there was another part of Annie, the part who had seen every aspect of Jeff Winger over the years - the slacker, the cheat, the narcissist, the drunk spiralling down into a pit of despair. But also the best friend, the comrade in arms, the reluctant idealist, the inspirational leader who cared for his adopted family more than anything else, the one guy in the world who could be counted on to be unconditionally on Annie's side. Every aspect that is, except for one - the charismatic seducer who had charmed to his will over the years more women than she was comfortable thinking about, and wondered if that was the Jeff she was going to be seeing tonight. Deep inside Annie, an excited nineteen year old was begging her not to waste the opportunity.

Annie threw down the last of the glass of champagne and began unbuttoning her blouse as she walked towards the shower.

XXXXXX

(Jeff Winger's apartment, 7PM)

"Oh, I say!" Ian Duncan's jaw had fallen open with shock as the door opened. Annie had showered, put fresh make-up and perfume on, climbed onto the shoes and wriggled into the dress - she reluctantly had to admit that Jeff had a good eye for what would look good on her. The expression on Duncan's face seemed to confirm that, if anything.

"Hi, Ian!" She replied with a surprised smile. "Are you my ride?"

"Um, yes." The Englishman replied. "Winger said he would owe me a favour if I did this, but I rather think I'm going to owe him one." He still hadn't managed to look Annie in the eyes.

"Aaaw, that's sweet!" Annie's smile turned mischievous. "And to think that your girlfriend is like a sister to me, we tell each other _everything._ "

Duncan finally managed to look her in the eyes. "Erm, yes. Shall we?" He said, beckoning down the corridor. Annie flashed him a brilliant smile, put a jacket on and started walking.

It was a ten minute drive to the restaurant - a very nice looking French one - where Duncan dropped her off, wishing her luck. Annie was somewhat surprised there was no sign of Jeff, instead a dapper Frenchman greeted her at the door and kissed her hand with a "You must be Mademoiselle Edison, welcome to my humble establishment! Monsieur Winger is waiting for you."

The Frenchman, who Annie realised must be the maitre d', led Annie inside, babbling cheerfully about how a friend of Monsieur Winger's was a friend of his, and so on. He led her to a private booth at the back of the restaurant, where Jeff stood up as she approached. His eye's lit up as he blatantly scanned her - Annie might have been more offended if she hadn't had been looking at him exactly the same way. As it was -

 _Oh Jeff. A law should be passed banning you from wearing anything other than fitted suits!_ Jeff took her elbow, pulled her towards him and kissed her gently on the cheek.

"Milady," he said. And unlike almost every other time he'd used his pet name for her, there was no hint of frivolity or bonhomie about it. His voice was ardent and serious as he looked at her as though she was the only thing left in the world worth looking at.

"Milord," Annie replied, her voice equally soft and serious. She smiled warmly at him as she took a seat in the booth opposite him.

"However much the beauty spa charged, it was worth it." Jeff said with a dry smile.

Annie rolled her eyes at him. "I've had a busy day Jeff, I _might_ have been too tired to come out tonight, then what would you have done?"

Jeff was still smiling. "You forget - I know you, Annie. You might have turned down a simple invitation, but a mystery? You wouldn't stop until you understood it. And here you are - Kir Royals for two, please." A waiter had arrived with menus and was asking them if they wanted drinks.

"Is purple going to be a theme of the evening, Jeff?"

And so they settled in for their evening. The waiter brought drinks, then food was ordered and Jeff ordered wine in a way that told Annie he either knew what he was doing or knew how to bluff his way round a wine list. They talked, they looked into each other's eyes, they laughed at each other's stories. When she told him about the manicure she received at the beauty spa, he took that as an excuse to take hold of her hand and not let go again until a waiter came round to clear away the plates in readiness for the next course.

Once, Annie crossed her legs under the table and accidentally banged Jeff's shin - he reacted as though he'd been electrocuted, so she did it again more slowly and watched with another smile as he went absolutely still and fought not to react. _I really can do anything I want with you, can't I?_ She thought to herself and found herself once again remembering the nineteen year old whose dearest wish was that he would simply notice her as a woman, and marvelled at how the balance of things had shifted.

"What do you have planned for the rest of the evening, Jeff?" She said as they sipped their coffees after the dessert dishes were cleared away.

"I don't know if you remember, but when we first discussed this back at the hospital I promised to take you for cocktails and dancing afterwards if you wished…"

Annie shook her head slightly. "When I had my casts removed, the doctor said I should take it easy for the first few days as my leg muscles would be unused to exercise. I'm pretty sure that rules out dancing. It probably also rules out walking in these things of course." She said dryly, flexing a leg slightly to show what she meant. Jeff took the opportunity to look, for all the world as if he was seeing her legs for the first time and wasn't the guy who had bought the shoes in the first place. Annie threw a napkin at him - it was linen, and didn't scrunch up as well as paper - "I'm up here, mister."

Jeff looked back up, smiling and not in the slightest bit embarrassed.

"Actually, I'm feeling a bit tired." She said, looking at him with an intense and alert stare. "I think I'd rather just go back to the apartment."

Jeff's eyes seemed to double in size as he sat up straight. He flagged down a passing waiter.

"L'addition, si vous plaît."

"You speak French, Jeff?"

"Only in restaurants."

XXXXXX

The journey back to the apartment was conducted mostly in silence. Jeff summoned an Uber car on the app on his phone, they sat in the back holding hands out of the line of sight of the driver. When Jeff massaged the palm of her hand with his thumb - marvelling at the softness of her skin, doubtless a result of her spa trip - she looked at him with her doe eyes, smiled in a way that was not at all Disney and didn't pull away.

They reached his apartment. Jeff could barely speak against the tension that was in the air. "Nightcap?" He croaked slightly as the door closed behind them.

Jeff didn't know what had come over him – in over two decades he had never felt as nervous as this when bringing a woman back to his apartment before. _But then none of them were Annie._

"Thanks." All of a sudden Annie, who had been thoroughly enjoying the evening and the sense that,for once in their relationship she was the one indisputably in control, was feeling as nervous as Jeff. _It's as though we both know what's going to happen next but we're both afraid because we know it'll change everything._

Annie took off her jacket as Jeff fetched the drinks. Even with her back turned, she thought she could feel him watch her every move.

"I don't think I ever thanked you for the outfit," she said as she walked towards him.

"Hey - you got to wear it, I got to see you wearing it – I think I'm the winner of that deal." Jeff said with a trace of his old cocky smile.

"You clean up pretty well yourself Jeff," Annie added, with an appraising look of her own.

Jeff passed her a glass. Their fingers touched as Annie took it off him. Their eyes met as the contact energised them both. It seemed to make up Jeff's mind for him, for he threw down his glass in a single gulp.

"I'm really sorry, Annie."

"What for, Jeff?" _You're going to back down again aren't you? Pretend it was all a mis-_

"I've spent years not doing this Annie, it's taken all my strength and energy – I can't not do it any more."

"What are you – oh!" Annie said as he stepped up to her, put an arm around her waist and pulled her in to him. He seemed to hesitate slightly at the last moment as he closed in.

"I'm not the one stopping you, Jeff. I've never been the one stopping you." Annie said softly.

"I know," Jeff said, as his lips found hers. The kiss was hungry, passionate as they fought to get as close to each other as possible. After what seemed like an age, they pulled apart for breath. They stared at each other, Jeff saw the fire in Annie's eyes and grinned suddenly. With a feral growl he picked her up in his arms and started to walk – run, almost – to the bedroom.

"Caveman!" She gasped through her own wild squawk.

"You seemed to like it last time." He grinned back as he carried her through the bedroom door and kicked it shut behind him.

XXXXXX

(Jeff Winger's apartment, 3:17AM)

Jeff was lying there in the dark, afraid to go to sleep. His great fear was that if he allowed himself to, when he woke up everything that had happened that night would turn out to be a dream. So he lay awake in the darkness, listening to the soft sussuration of Annie's breathing as she slept, her body pressed against his side and her head resting on his chest. Instead, he fought to imprint as many memories as possible. The way she laughed when he dropped - practically threw - her on the bed; the way her eyes went smoky and intense when he landed next to her; the noise she made when he touched her _just so_ ; the look on her face when she -

"Gessum sleep, Je'" Annie mumbled into his side. Jeff smiled softly into the darkness, ran his hand down her back, and closed his eyes.

XXXXXX

(Jeff Winger's apartment, 9:52AM)

Jeff finally stirred awake. He lazily stretched out his arm, only to sit up in panic when it encountered nothing but empty bed. He jumped up and ran to the bedroom door out into the small corridor that led to the main living space of the apartment. His panic eased off as he heard a familiar tune playing up ahead and Annie's voice join in.

 _And it's whispered that soon, if we all call the tune,  
_ _Then the piper will lead us to reason.  
_ _And a new day will dawn for those who stand long,  
_ _And the forests will echo with laughter…_

"I never had you as a fan," Jeff said.

"I did a bit of research after all that 'girl with flowers in her hair' stuff and got interes- JEFF!" Annie had turned around from where she was working on the coffee - her sudden yelp reminded Jeff that in his panic he'd quite forgotten to put anything on, unlike Annie who had been up for long enough to shower and change into an FBI sweatshirt and exercise shorts.

"What's the problem? There's nothing here you haven't seen before." He smirked.

Annie rolled her eyes. "Hygiene, Jeff."

"Spoilsport." Jeff was still smirking as he walked back to the bedroom.

"Breakfast will be about fifteen minutes," Annie called after him. "you've got time for a quick shower and shave if you want." Jeff grumbled to himself as he took the hint and carried on to the bathroom.

 _Your head is humming and it won't go, in case you don't know,  
_ _The piper's calling you to join him.  
_ _Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow, and did you know  
_ _Your stairway lies on the whispering wind?_

XXXXXX

Fifteen minutes was scandalously inadequate for Jeff's morning routine - he barely had time to shower, shave, moisturise and comb a minimal amount of product through his hair - but he just about managed to throw on a robe and walk back down to the kitchen area when Annie cheerfully yelled that breakfast was ready.

"Annie!" Jeff's eyes bulged at the stack of pancakes, the mountain of chopped fruit and the heap of grilled, lean bacon on the breakfast bar. _When she's happy, she makes pancakes for breakfast._ A voice that sounded remarkably like Abed's said inside Jeff's head. _She must be really happy today then,_ Jeff's usual internal voice replied as he looked at the stack of pancakes. He smiled to himself at the thought.

"I thought after last night you'd need protein and calories." She said, grinning happily.

"Gee, thanks." Jeff said dryly as he poured a coffee and gingerly helped himself to some lean bacon, a couple of pancakes and some chopped fruit. Annie smiled as he took the food then filled up her own plate.

 _She's eating twice what I am! Where does she put it all?_ Jeff thought to himself.

"So Jeff," Annie said after they'd eaten for a while. "Do you want to talk about last night?" Annie was thinking their relationship had changed in a fundamental way and it was important to make sure she and Jeff were on the same page.

"Do we have to?" Jeff groaned. Talking about relationships was never easy for him - especially just after breakfast and before he'd even finished his first coffee of the day.

Annie wasn't going to let him delay. Instead, she put her formidable face on. "Let me try again - do you want to talk about last night, or are you happy for it to be a one night stand?"

Jeff choked suddenly. "Oh crap, I've just given you a whole new way to make me do stuff I don't want to, haven't I?"

Annie smiled triumphantly. She may even have bounced slightly.

"Yes Annie," Jeff sighed. "I would very much like what happened last night to happen again. I could even say I would be okay with doing that many, many times more. In fact, I'd say if we were characters in a computer game we'd be doing it non-stop for as long as the power supply held out. Unfortunately in real life we have to eat, drink, sleep and work. So, what would you like to know?"

"Well that answers at least the first two questions I suppose." Annie blushed slightly.

"Thank you," Jeff said as he sliced off a piece a bacon, put it on top of a piece of pancake and skewered them both with his fork before transferring them to his mouth.

"Why did it take so long for us to get together?" Annie said with a suddenly sad tone of voice.

"Well, for something like four years we weren't even in touch -"

"We had six years before that, Jeff! _Six years!"_

"Annie you were -"

"Don't you dare say 'too young' Jeff - I was the most mature person you knew, and you know it." Annie seemed to be getting angry now.

 _She's probably thinking we wasted so much time when we could have been doing this._ "You're still younger now than I was when we first met you know."

Annie's face clouded. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"Do you think _you_ could have a healthy, long lasting relationship with an eighteen year old and not have it get weird?"

Annie looked like he'd slapped her. "Not fair, Jeff it's different for women -"

"Says the girl who's job comes with a badge and a gun."

Annie looked like he'd landed another blow. "Still not fair, Jeff. you know what I meant."

Jeff raised an eyebrow. "What about Britta and Troy? Nobody made a fuss about their age difference just because she was older."

"Doesn't count. They didn't last very long-" Annie stopped suddenly. "Which is the point you we're making, isn't it?" She said sadly. Jeff shrugged his shoulders apologetically.

"Look Annie," Jeff was using his courtroom voice now. "Let us concede for a moment you were - are - an incredibly strong young woman, mature and decisive well beyond your years, well capable of holding down a serious relationship. You know what sort of guy I was back then, do you think _I_ could have?"

"Jeff -"

"No, Annie. If we'd tried we would have some intense, amazing times but eventually I would have done one stupid, hurtful thing too many and you would have left to protect yourself and we'd never see each other again. I couldn't risk that."

"What about now, Jeff?" Annie's face was deadly serious. "Do you think you could manage now?"

Jeff nodded. "I think - no, I know - I want to try. I just don't want you to be upset about the years we didn't have together - I think I needed that time to sort myself out, to become someone who could be with someone as amazing as you." He smiled his special, soft smile at her.

"Aaaww." Annie said, returning his smile. Then she went serious. "What about the age gap now, Jeff? It's the same as it ever was."

Jeff looked serious himself. "I won't deny it's still a thing, but we're both fully grown now, hopefully it's less important. And besides," he grinned suddenly. "You turned thirty last birthday. You're on the downhill slope too now." Annie humphed at him.

Jeff's expression turned positively lascivious. "Anyway - it's Saturday, and we don't have to be anywhere. What do you say we burn off some more calories?" He nodded at the remains of Annie's breakfast before lunging over the counter.

She easily backed away out of reach, with a mischievous smile on her face. "We have to load the dishwasher first, Jeff."

"Dammit, why did I have to fall in love with a day planner?" He said it naturally, without forethought. Annie noticed.

"Well, there are things only a day planner could do…" She leaned forward again. and whispered in his ear.

Jeff gulped. "I've got the plates, you get the cups."

XXXXXX

 _ **Author's note:**_ _the Jeff/Annie discussion at the end isn't my opinion as to how an S1 relationship between them would go, it's my understanding of what Jeff's opinion would be. If you want to see my actual opinion, please read "And Everything Goes Back To The Beginning"..._


	20. 20 - Is Greendale Where I Belong?

"You guys have been having sex," Britta said. It wasn't a question.

It wasn't Jeff and Annie's first day back at Greendale after the previous weekend, when they had basically locked the apartment door and switched off their phones -

("We've got over eleven years to make up for, Jeff!"

"Remember what I said about eating, sleeping, drinking and work, Annie?"

" _ELEVEN YEARS, Jeff!")_

\- but it was the first time Britta had seen them since then and she wasn't looking impressed as she slipped into the cafeteria booth next to Annie and opposite Jeff.

"Don't be ridiculous, Britta." Jeff said.

"What makes you think that, Britta?" Annie said.

Britta decided to concentrate on the younger woman. "Firstly, I tried to contact you five times over the weekend to find out how your date went, and I didn't get an answer until mid-morning on Monday, when you should have been in his ConLaw class. You were obviously too busy with _something._ "

"You were checking your messages instead of hanging on to my every word?" Jeff sounded offended, but he was looking fondly at Annie.

"Sorry," she said, beaming back at him.

"Stop changing the subject, Winger. Which brings me on to my second point - Jeff is wearing the smug face he has when he's getting regular sex again."

"Objection - speculation." Annie said, still mostly looking at Jeff.

"Sustained." He said.

"Thirdly," Britta said, ignoring the byplay and facing Annie again. "You look disgustingly, sickeningly happy. Normally I would argue this was powerful evidence _against_ you having had sex with Jeff Winger, but you have terrible taste in men."

"Britta!" Annie yelped in a shocked gasp.

"And fourthly," Britta continued, ignoring the interruption, "you've barely stopped looking at each other since I arrived. Oh, you've always had your cute, sidelong glances - but now you're looking at each other like people who have seen each other naked. I'm afraid even to look under the table because of what I might find there." Annie suddenly blushed bright pink and sat upright in her seat. Jeff rose more casually from his slouch.

"Yeah, that." Britta said.

Annie reached for her phone and started tapping at it. "I know we promised to keep it quiet for a couple of weeks before we had to deal with the crazy, but the cat's out of the bag now." She said.

"Status - in a relationship." She was amending her Facebook settings.

"Nooo -" Jeff suddenly dived across the table. Britta slammed his outstretched hand down into it.

"With Jeff Winger and -" Annie melodramatically hit a button. "Update!"

She was grinning as Jeff's face sank into the table. "That was a mistake, babe." Annie's face lit up at the sudden endearment.

"At least you're admitting it now, Winger. Of course you have to update too now or look like a complete douche." Britta was smirking as Jeff groaned.

""Why was it a mistake, Jeff?" Annie was frowning slightly now.

There were a few more seconds of silence. Then, from Annie's phone - _ping… ping... pingping… ping…_

"Oh." Annie said. She swiped to open the first message. "Necessary plot development - that's Abed."

"Duh." Jeff's face was still in the table.

"Yaaay! With two happyfaces and a thumbs up - that's Shakti."

"Uh-oh - 'Tell Jeffrey I'll be speaking to him later'."

"And that's Shirley." Jeff mumbled into the table.

" _WILL PROFESSOR WINGER PLEASE COME TO THE DEAN OF STUDENTS OFFICE IMMEDIATELY!"_ The tannoy announced. " _PROFESSOR WINGER TO THE DEAN OF STUDENTS OFFICE!"_

"Aaand Craig's just seen it." Jeff said, sighing as he sat upright again. "Duty calls, guys - Britta, are you still free to take Annie to her afternoon appointment? Thanks." He added as Britta nodded her agreement. "Well if the secret's out, I can at least do this in public." And he leaned all the way over the table and kissed his girlfriend soundly on the lips. "See you later, Annie."

"Aaaww," Annie sighed happily as her eyes seemed to get even wider. "See you later, Jeff."

"Gross." Britta said. She'd taken out her own phone and started typing.

Jeff, who'd taken his phone out to update his own status as soon as he'd started walking away from the table, felt it vibrate with an incoming message even before he'd finished. He finished the update, switched over to his messaging app and opened the message.

 _Don't be a Jerk this time, Jeff. This is the best chance you're going to get._

He nodded slightly, and typed out a reply. _I know, and thanks Britta._

XXXXXX

(University of Colorado Hospital Denver, later that day)

"Good Afternoon, Annie. A pleasure to see you again." Dr Lenihan was a short, slightly portly man in his early fifties with a happy face. Annie smiled at him.

"Good to see you too, doctor."

"Before we go any further, I'd like to inform you that we will be joined today by one of our residents, who has expressed an interest in your case." He gestured behind Annie. A slim, attractive Asian woman who was several inches shorter even than Annie walked up to her. She looked familiar, somehow.

"Hello, other Annie." The new doctor said.

"You!" Annie said with a shocked gasp as she recognised the voice.

"Oh, do you know Dr. Kim?" Doctor Lenihan said.

"We were undergraduates together." Annie managed to squeak out.

XXXXXX

The arrangements for Annie's appointments were straightforward enough – if Jeff or one of her friends was free they would give her a lift, or otherwise she would get a taxi or an Uber car. To come back, she would either wait around for Jeff to collect her or get an Uber again. Today, Jeff had finished early enough that he drove into Denver to collect Annie from a coffee bar on the ground floor of the college hospital.

"Hiya babe, what are you doing?" Annie had been head down in her laptop with her memory book to one side and a mug of coffee to the other and hadn't seen him arrive.

"Hi, Jeff!" She responded brightly. Then her expression changed to one of slight embarrassment as she looked down at her laptop. "Promise you won't laugh?"

Jeff grinned at her. "You know I can't promise that."

Annie rolled her eyes at him. "My therapist thought it would help with my recovery if I wrote a book – something about it'd help me come to terms with my amnesia better if I could use it to help others. I've been doing it for just over a week now."

" _That's_ what you've been doing in the library when you haven't been sitting in on lectures." Jeff realised. Annie nodded as she shut down her laptop and packed it away. "And there's nothing funny about that – my girlfriend the bigshot writer." He said as he looked at her fondly.

"You should say that more often, Jeff." Annie said as she stood up and moved to his side.

"Bigshot writer?"

"No, the other bit."

"My girlfriend?" Jeff put his arm around her shoulders.

"That's the one." She beamed up at him.

"You won't believe who I met today." Annie changed the subject as they walked out.

"Go on, tell me."

"Annie Kim. Or _Doctor_ Kim, I should say."

" _What?_ Did you check for poison?"

"Don't be bad, Jeff. Actually, I think we bonded." Jeff snorted with disbelief. "It's true," Annie protested. "I think it helped that we're not competing anymore – she's perfectly happy for me to be the best law officer ever to graduate Greendale, and I'm happy for her to be the best doctor. So we congratulated each other on how amazing we were to survive Greendale and swapped stories about how rubbish it was at preparing us for postgraduate education." She grinned up at Jeff.

"Ouch." He said.

"Sorry." Annie did not sound as if she meant it. "Oh!" She suddenly remembered something. "Did you speak to Shirley? Is she flying out here with a pair of rusty garden shears?"

"Yes, and no." Jeff looked wryly at her. "She accepts that if we've known each other for so long and still want to be together then we should give it a try, she just told me not to even consider defiling you until I'd put a ring on it."

"And what did you say?"

"I said I definitely wasn't considering defiling you."

"You… you… _lawyer!_ " Annie gasped up at him.

"Do you want to pick up something to eat on the way home?" They'd reached the Jaguar.

"Do you think we can go straight home instead?" There was nothing Disney about Annie's doe eyes.

"Erm, yeah. Okay." Jeff held her gaze for a moment, grinned and jogged around to the driver's side of the car.

XXXXXX

 _This is humiliating – I ran the DC marathon last year!_ It was almost two weeks since her casts came off and Annie had decided her legs had recovered enough she could add running to her physical therapy, so she'd joined Jeff on his daily pre-breakfast run. She'd got barely a quarter of a mile before her legs decided to stop working and she doubled over with exhaustion. _It doesn't help that he's standing there barely breathing hard and looking like a Greek god in designer running gear!_

"Do you need me to carry you back, babe?" Jeff was hugely amused at Annie's predicament.

"Save it for special occasions, caveman." Annie rolled her eyes at him as she straightened up. "I'll be fine, you carry on with your run and I'll go back to the apartment and get breakfast ready." Jeff nodded, and with a quick 'see you later' headed off down the road. Annie knew it would take him at least half an hour to do the rest of his four mile run so she had plenty of time to get back. She knew his routine by now - he'd come home, have a light breakfast then go into Greendale, getting there early enough to lift weights for an hour in the gym then shower and go to his first lecture of the day (she'd watched him a couple of times, though he thought she was working on her book).

XXXXXX

(Scene: A discreet, but elegant restaurant in New York. An attractive, fashionably dressed woman in her mid-forties has approached a table. An equally fashionably dressed man, slightly older, has risen to greet her.)

"Marjorie," he said, bowing slightly.

"Bernard,"she smiled, leaning forward slightly to allow him to kiss her on the cheek.

"To what do I owe this - admittedly considerable - pleasure?" He asked. "You don't usually venture forth from your mountain citadel."

Amused, she nodded in acknowledgement of the point. "Denver is hardly Shangri-La, Bernard. As it happens, I have a very interesting proposition for you. Perrier, with a slice of Rangpur lime, please." A waiter had arrived and asked if they wished to have drinks. He ordered an Amontillado sherry.

"Your 'interesting propositions' usually cost me a great deal of money."

"And make you even more."

He shrugged slightly. "Which is why we are having this meeting."

Silence fell between them. As the literary agent, she knew she would have to speak first. "Do you remember that business earlier this year in DC with the Russian spy? Thank you." The waiter had returned with their drinks.

He shook his head, sadly. "Shocking affair."

She took a sip of her drink and looked at him as she put her cards on the table. "I've found the FBI agent."

" _What?_ " His unflappable demeanour cracked for a moment. "Every publisher on the east coast has been looking for her - she dropped off the face of the earth after leaving the hospital."

"She moved back to Denver to recuperate," Marjorie said. "Her boyfriend is a law professor in a local college apparently. She's writing a book as part of her therapy and sought me out. I've signed her of course."

He raised his glass, as if toasting her. "You were right, this is an interesting proposition."

She raised hers, and nodded, an amused expression on her face. "And _you_ were right - this is going to cost you a great deal of money."

Bernard smirked, thinly. "She will need to deliver in plenty of time to get something on the shelves by Christmas. Can she?" He added bluntly.

Marjorie had no idea. "Of course."

"I'm sure we'll be able to come to some understanding. How long are you in New York for?"

"A couple of days at least. Tom has mentioned a Spanish restaurant which he says I simply must try, and Lavinia knows this spa that does divine mani-pedis." She said, naming buyers for two rival publishing houses.

"You really must try the veal carbonara," he said, as a waiter handed them menus. "It's to die for."

XXXXXX

Annie had been prescribed a set of exercise by her physiotherapist to reverse loss of fitness in her leg muscles while they were in casts and, being Annie, made sure she spent at least half an hour a day, every day, doing them, usually after coming home and before dinner. Rather than sit around watching her - which was not an unpleasant activity, Jeff freely admitted to himself - Jeff amended his own workout routine so they exercised together. The fact that neither of them had any problems with the way the other looked in exercise shorts and tight tops did no harm at all. Annie had just finished a minute's worth of squats and was waiting for Jeff to finish his handstand push-ups - a rather extreme exercise which seemed to be new.

"C'mon Jeff - I need you to help me with my sit-ups." She frowned slightly as she watched him force through the last few. _I'm sure he'd been pushing himself harder since we got together - he never used to do things like that before. Is he still sensitive about the age difference - what can I say to him to get him to understand it doesn't matter?_

"Just - a couple - more," Jeff grunted as he ground through the last two and returned to a standing position. He stretched for a few seconds, then squatted on the ground. "Right - give me your legs."

Annie set the stopwatch on her phone for one minute, laid down on her back with her feet on the ground and her knees in the air, then pressed start on the stopwatch when she felt Jeff firmly grab her ankles.

Jeff watched her grind through the sit-ups with a small grin on his face. "While this is fun, I can think of better ways of working up a sweat that involve body contact." He said.

"23 - Shutupjeff - 24 - 25 - dammit." The timer on Annie's phone had rang.

"At least you lasted the full minute this time." Jeff was smiling.

Annie wasn't mollified. _You could at least pretend to be unhappy I'm falling so far short of the PFT._ "You know I need at least 35 to pass the physical fitness test before the FBI will let me back as a field agent."

"Hey - you'll get there, what's the hurry? You don't need to push yourself so hard."

Annie took her frustration out on Jeff. "I'm pushing myself because it's a requirement of my job, and that's important to me. I'm not pushing myself because I'm too vain to accept I'm older than my girlfriend and too insecure to believe her when she says it doesn't matter!"

Jeff looked as though he'd been punched. Annie realised she'd gone too far. "I'm sorr-"

"I told you the age difference doesn't matter anymore - you said you believed me!" Jeff said as he got to his feet. "Do you want to know why it doesn't matter Annie?" She just looked at him, stunned at the anger and hurt in his face and his voice.

"Yes, I'm older than you - but you're the one doing a job that means any hour of the day or night I could get a call saying you're not coming back! I did get a call almost like that, once - you have no idea how frightened I was. Frightened enough to force myself to face the fact that the only important thing in my life was I never wanted to let you out of it again!"

Annie jumped up and tried to run to him. "Oh Jeff -"

Jeff froze as Annie grabbed his arm. "You're going to leave me, and you want it to happen as soon as possible." Jeff was staring at the door.

"How can you possibly think that, Jeff?"

"You're working all out to pass the fitness test. Every time you fall short you get angry. When you pass you'll be gone. You want to pass so you'll be gone."

 _Is that what you really think I'm doing?_ Annie was shocked. "That's not what I'm doing at all, Jeff. Whatever happens we'll be together, I promise."

"You'll pass the tests, return to Virginia and go back to saving the world." Jeff mumbled.

"I've been away too long - my post has been filled and Atal has a new partner. Some bright spark straight out of Quantico, apparently." Jeff grunted. "The FBI will send me where they need me." She paused for a moment. "I've asked for Colorado."

Jeff looked at her for the first time since they'd started talking. "Wh- why didn't you say?"

Now Annie was the one unable to look him in the eyes. "Because nothing's been agreed yet and won't be until I pass the PFT and PsychEval." She said quietly. "I didn't want to make a promise I couldn't keep. But I am promising you that whatever happens, I won't let it come between us - if you promise me the same thing, we _will_ find a way to make it work. After all we've been through, we deserve that much."

Jeff let out a breath he didn't know he'd been holding.

"Here's the thing, Jeff." Annie continued talking. "I have a career I enjoy, I'm good at and I make a difference. I'm not going to apologise for wanting to get back to it - but I want this too-" she pointed at the space between them "-and I'm going to fight to make it work." Annie's expression changed to her more formidable one. "But I need to know you're not just doing this because it's easy and comfortable - that this - us - is important to you too and you're willing to make sacrifices too. Even if it means leaving Greendale."

Jeff froze. He'd been about to give another inspirational speech, and then she'd mentioned leaving. Yes, Greendale was a place he'd once hated and couldn't wait to get away from, but he'd built a life there that he was content with - work he enjoyed, friends, the Justice Project which was making a difference for the better in people's lives. The life he'd made for himself when she'd left. "You don't ask for much, do you Annie?" He finally managed to gasp out.

"I'm asking you for _everything,_ Jeff. Don't you dare tell me I deserve anything less."

Jeff smiled suddenly as memories of formidable Annie came back to him _._ "Heck, I've been saying that for longer than you have." He went serious again. _I only get to be with her if being with her is the most important thing in my life._ "You promise that, whatever happens, we'll always be together?"

Annie nodded. "So long as you do too, Jeff. This isn't all on me."

Jeff let out another breath. _For years I've been obsessed with the safe choice. The safe choice now will cost me Annie, and that's no choice at all._ "Together, whatever happens. It's a deal." Then he looked at her with a challenge in his eyes.

"As you've got your exercise gear on, do you want to go for a run? I know I could do with de-stressing. I promise to keep it short and slow so you can keep up."

"You're on - and I am _so_ going to make you eat those words one of these days, mister."


	21. Chapter 21 - Together, Whatever Happens

"Are you sure you're up to this?" Jeff asked. It was the first week of summer school and once again, he and Annie were standing in front of a lecture theatre waiting for the students to arrive. It wasn't the first time they'd stood together in front of a Greendale lecture theatre, but it was the first time that Annie was the lecturer and Jeff would be in the audience.

"Oh please, Jeff." She rolled her eyes at him. "We re-established contact because I was giving the case for the prosecution at a conference attended by some of the best defence lawyers in the country. And you."

"Ouch, Annie." Jeff winced good naturedly.

She grinned back at him. "I think I can handle guest lecturing at a Greendale Summer school class as a favour for my old forensics professor."

"Well, I'm going to be in the front row, watching you do almost as well as me -"

"You wish."

"-I'd say break a leg, but…"

Annie shuddered slightly. "Yeah - been there, done that."

"Knock 'em dead, babe." Jeff closed in for a hug - a relatively chaste one, as students were starting to filter in - and took a seat in the front row to watch and offer moral support.

As the students settled down, a middle-aged man walked to the front. "Good afternoon students," Professor Dawson, who had taken over teaching forensics after Buzz Hickey's death, addressed them. "Today we have a special treat for you, a guest lecture from this programme's most successful graduate and one of the FBI's most promising young officers. Allow me to present Special Agent Annie Edison…".

XXXXXX

As Spring Semester came to an end and Summer School started, Jeff watched Annie close in remorselessly on the metrics she needed to pass the physical fitness test that would likely take her away from Greendale, and if he had mixed feelings about it he didn't let them show. He didn't ask her how the therapy sessions the FBI had arranged to assess if she was mentally fit to return were going either, but he knew Annie - that would not hold her back.

Other parts of Annie's life fell into place. Her agent returned from New York with a deal for her to consider.

("What do you think?" she asked her lawyer when she showed him the contract.

"There are bits of it I'm very impressed by," Jeff had said.

"Oh really, which?"

"The zeroes, for starters. It might be an idea to seek to keep the film rights though, even if it means a smaller advance."

Annie looked puzzled for a moment, then realised what he was getting at. "Ah, Abed."

Jeff nodded in agreement.)

Which meant that more and more of Annie's time not taken up by appointments was spent working on her book, interviewing her friends for the period that was a blank to her and watching the video footage Abed had taken to support her memory book.

("I remember none of this." Annie had just re-watched for the third time a short episode showing Troy pushing her in a wheelchair at full speed down a hospital corridor. She was screaming with laughter and the camera was shaking as Abed sprinted to keep up - it had come to an abrupt end when Troy had almost crashed her into a doctor and only escaped serious embarrassment when he offered to perform a free gig for the student body. There were tears in the corners of her eyes, Jeff held for for a very long time until she felt better.)

XXXXXX

One Thursday, two weeks after the start of Summer School, Jeff was getting ready to leave for work when he noticed something different about Annie.

"You're wearing your uniform. What gives, babe?" Annie had on her black, knee-length skirt suit, white blouse and medium heels.

"I've been called in for an interview at the Denver office," she said.

Jeff felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.

"It's probably nothing." Annie noticed and was attempting to reassure him. "They probably just want to talk about the bits of my book where I discuss the case."

"I thought you'd already sent those chapters off?"

"I have, but I haven't had any feedback yet, so…" She walked over and kissed him. "You go to school, we'll talk about it over dinner tonight. Love you, Jeff."

"Love you too, Annie. Best of luck."

XXXXXX

(That evening.)

"Hi Annie, Sorry I'm -" Jeff had been held back slightly late with a staff meeting - his greeting as he walked through the door came to an abrupt halt as he saw what awaited him. Annie had set the table for a formal dinner, the smells of a meal filled the apartment and she was standing next to the table wearing the dress and heels he'd bought her for their first proper date. _Something bad has happened. She's softening me up._

He put a smile on his face. "How did your day go? What did Denver have to say?"

Annie poured a glass of wine. Jeff noticed her hand seemed to be shaking slightly. "Why don't we sit down, have a drink and some dinner first -"

"Annie. What is it?" Jeff took the offered wine.

She poured a glass for herself. "They offered me a job," she said, taking a big sip.

Jeff sagged with relief - he hadn't expected her visit to the Denver office to result in a job offer. "Denver? That's great -"

Annie shook her head. "Not in Denver."

Jeff suddenly realised why Annie had gone to so much trouble. A feeling of dread came over him. _She's leaving me._

"Where, Annie?"

"Lewiston, Idaho."

" _Where?"_

"It's a big promotion Jeff, I'll be running a resident agency, making me the most senior federal agent in about a fifth of the state."

Jeff fought the urge to throw his glass across the room. Instead he put it on the table and, to his surprise, managed to reply almost calmly. "It sounds like you've decided to take the job."

She nodded. "I want to, yes. If I turn this down it might be years before I get another opportunity like this." Annie had a nervous, slightly too large smile on her face as though she thought if she projected enough positivity she could carry Jeff along with her. It wasn't working.

"Idaho, Annie! What about us?" _I've accepted in the past that she has to move on and if I want to keep her in my life then I have to go with her – but it wasn't real then, it is now._

Annie's face went pale as her mood changed. "Don't do this, Jeff - we talked about this. I want us to be together, but this is also important to me."

"Is it more important to you than I am Annie?" Jeff's voice was trembling with anguish.

"I want you to come with me Jeff, unless Greendale is more important to you than I am anyway," she snapped back.

Jeff was silenced for a moment by what Annie said. He had long since accepted that he would be at Greendale indefinitely, and had resolved to make his life there as worthwhile as possible. But he had also long since accepted that Annie had gone, and now she was back, and…

"I guess I was hoping that, with your writing and lecturing, you were getting used to the idea of staying," he said with a sigh.

"They're good ways of keeping me busy until I'm fit enough to go back to work Jeff – but that's all they are, you know this!" Annie had walked up to him, her eyes begging him to understand and accept it. "You promised to support me, Jeff – together, whatever happens remember?"

"And what about you, Annie?" Jeff sounded like he was fighting to hold in his temper. "While I'm abandoning my job, my friends, my students, everything I've built since the last time you left –" Annie went pale at that "-to show how important you are to me, what will you be doing to show how important I am to you?"

Annie threw her arms up in exasperation. "I'm standing here in a dress _you_ bought me begging you to come with me, Jeff! What else can I do?"

"Marry me." The words seemed to shock him as much as her.

" _What?_ Mister 'nut up and die alone'? You can't be serious!" Annie was utterly bemused at the sudden change in direction the conversation had taken and was finding it increasingly difficult to hold onto her temper, and increasingly wondering why she wanted to.

Jeff still seemed to be partly stunned by what he said. "What's the matter, Annie – do you find it easier to demand commitment than to give it?" Jeff had picked up on Annie's changing mood and was not prepared to back down in front of it.

"Jeff Winger commit to something? You wouldn't dare you overinflated egomaniac!" Annie was practically snarling with rage now.

"You really want to test me, you prissy little teacher's pet?!" Their faces were barely inches apart as they screamed at each other now.

"Yes!"

"Yes what?"

"Yes I'll marry you!" Now it was Annie's turn to look stunned at what she'd said.

"Yes, I'll marry you." She said it again, much more quietly, as though seeking to reassure herself she had actually said it out loud. A soft smile spread across her face as she registered the stunned expression on Jeff's. "It's too late to back out now, mis- oof!" Annie had been abruptly silenced by Jeff hauling her off her feet and crushing his lips to hers.

The kiss started out angry, but they melted into each other's arms and as it came to an end and Jeff lowered Annie so she was standing on her own feet again there was an expression of awed wonder on both their faces as they looked into each other's eyes. "So, are we really going to do this?" Jeff whispered.

Annie nodded, with a smile that was huge even for her. "I think we are, yes." She suddenly wriggled loose from his embrace. "Oh my gosh - there's so much planning to do! We've got to set a date!"

"Tomorrow."

Annie was already in a world of her own. "We've got to draw up a guest list!"

"We won't need to if we do it tomorrow."

"We've got to find a venue and caterers, maybe Shirley would..." Annie had dug out a notebook and a pen and started to scribble down notes.

"Not if we do it tomorrow we don't have to."

"We need to decide what sort of service to have - Jewish, or whatever you are, or do we just get a Justice of the Peace?"

"Not if we do it tomorrow we don't have to."

"I've got to get a dress and shoes, and we'll need a ring -"

"You've got plenty of dresses and shoes, and I've got a ring."

This finally seemed to get through to Annie where nothing else Jeff had said had managed to. "What are you talking about, Jeff?" But Jeff didn't answer - he was already diving into the bedroom. Annie heard shouting and swearing, accompanied by the sound of drawers being pulled open and slammed shut again, then he reappeared.

"I didn't really know my grandparents very well," he said, somewhat to Annie's confusion. "My dad's parents were never around, and my mom's father died before I was born. Which left Nana Fitzgerald, mom's mom. Her husband gave her this, and she gave it to me a few weeks before she died." Jeff showed her the ring box he'd been hiding behind his back. "She told me to hold on to it until I met the girl I wanted to spend the rest of my life with, and give it to her." He took the ring out of the box and held it out to her.

Annie crossed her arms across her chest and shook her head slightly. "You've got to do it right Jeff," she said. The words were stern, but her eyes were shining and she was fighting to keep a smile off her face.

Jeff gaped slightly in disbelief. " _What_?" he said, then he seemed to register what she was saying. With the long suffering sigh of the righteous martyr, he lowered himself to the ground until he was down on one knee. He held the ring out in front of him. "Annie Edison, will you do me the very great honour of becoming my wife?"

Annie's face changed from stern to radiant as though a switch had been flipped. She jumped into the air squealing, "yes of course I will!" and thrust out her left hand, allowing him to slide the ring onto her third finger. Then she gathered him into a happy embrace - he was still on his knees, so his face was swiftly enveloped in softness and warmth - before pulling away with a suddenly serious expression on her face.

"Why did you keep talking about tomorrow, Jeff?"

"This is Colorado Annie - sure, you _can_ do all that stuff if you really want to, but all you _need_ to do is go down to the County Clerk's office, pay the registration fee, sign the licence form and marriage certificate. You don't even need an officiant if you don't want one!"

"But I've always dreamed of a big wedding!" Annie sounded sceptical.

Jeff looked at her with amused fondness. "Don't tell me you've still got that massive fluffy binder of wedding ideas!"

Annie actually blushed. "It's in a box in storage somewhere, but - yes." She straightened up and looked him in the eyes. "But this isn't about that Jeff - you can't just rush into getting married! There are things to organise, people to talk to! You know me Jeff - I can't just jump into something like this." She stopped and picked up her notebook again. "I've got to start working on a list -"

Jeff was afraid he was losing her again. "Don't forget, you've dreamed about being married to me for years too - at least that one will come true!"

Annie turned back to look at him again, but didn't put her notebook down. "It has to be organised, Jeff! I can't risk anything going wrong because I didn't plan it properly!"

" But _think_ Annie -" Jeff was practically begging now "- do you really think a Greendale wedding will be less crazy and chaotic than the two of us going down to City Hall and fleeing town afterwards?" He grinned suddenly at a fond memory. "All you really need to do is remember not to throw a drink over me."

"Oh god, Jeff -" Annie buried her head in her hands "-I was so young then!"

"Well, unless you're still holding out for Zack Efron…"

"Not since he put on all that weight to play Marlon Brando," Annie shuddered. "But our friends will kill us!" She said with the tone of someone fast running out of objections.

"Then we don't tell them until it's over - you know I love them, but if there's one thing that's guaranteed to make this crazy it's giving them advanced warning." Jeff had the excited tone of someone who sensed he was winning the argument. Annie had a conflicted expression that said she didn't want to agree with him but knew he was right.

"I'll go into college as normal," Jeff continued. "Do my morning classes then meet you at City Hall at lunchtime. We'll fill out the forms, update our status pages and flee town for the weekend."

Annie considered for a moment, then came to a decision. "There's so much we still need to do - but first, you need to get out of here, mister."

Jeff looked stunned. "But we haven't even eaten the dinner you made! Never mind -"

"Dinner doesn't matter any more." Annie said firmly. "As for the rest - it's bad luck for the groom even to see the bride the night before the wedding, sleeping together is completely out of the question. You can book into a motel or something."

Jeff saw the expression on her face and realised it was pointless to argue. "At least let me pack an overnight bag," he sighed.

"And don't forget to take your tablet," Annie said. "If I'm only going to get a weekend for my honeymoon, it needs to be spectacular and it needs to be a surprise. You've basically got tonight to organise it."

"Yes, Annie."

"And I'll need the Jag. You'll have to get a bus." Annie's face had the same mixture of excitement and resolve Jeff remembered from their days when a particularly absurd caper was the highlight of a semester. She grabbed him suddenly and kissed him soundly. "Now leave, before I give in to temptation and nothing gets arranged."

Jeff grinned suddenly. "Yes, Annie."

XXXXXX

(Next morning, Greendale Mall)

Annie looked at the sign over the door of the designer boutique - _Tout Pour Elle -_ took a deep breath, stepped through and made a beeline for the formalwear section.

"May I help you miss?" A flawlessly dressed assistant blocked her way with a professional smile on her face. Annie smiled back.

"I'm getting married this afternoon and I don't have a dress, shoes or lingerie. I do have-" she glanced at her phone "-forty-eight minutes and a Visa Gold Card. Can you help me?"

The assistant's smile turned genuine. "Of course, come this way." She snapped her fingers in the air and a couple of more junior assistants who had been hanging back scurried over.

XXXXXX

(Greendale Community College - Jeff Winger's office)

There was a knock on the door. "Come in," Jeff called. In the end he'd slept in the office overnight - one of the couches opened out into a guest bed - and he'd already been up for a couple of hours and was attending to a few personal matters before heading off to give his first class. Gemma and Hayley walked in - the girls had finished classes at the end of Spring Semester, but were spending the summer interning for Jeff on the Justice Project.

"Good morning, professor." They both said. "Annie dropped this off." Gemma said, holding up Jeff's suit carrier - Jeff remembered she'd got to know the students when she interviewed them for their memories of the conference for her book - "she said something about you needing to be dressed properly for the special date you're having later today?" Hayley continued.

Both girls were clearly bursting with curiosity, but Jeff had no intention of satisfying it. "Thank you ladies, I'll see you later." He gently but firmly closed the door in their faces.

Jeff opened the suit carrier - he wasn't in the least bit surprised to see his sharpest charcoal grey three piece suit, a pristine white shirt and Annie's favorite tie inside. A separate compartment in the bottom contained his most expensive dress shoes. _I should have realised,_ he thought to himself. _However hard I try to play it simple, Annie will always make it special._ He smiled fondly as he took the suit and shirt out to allow them to hang, then went back to his desk where his tablet was open on a florist's web page.

XXXXXX

Annie left the fashion store carrying three bags. She walked precisely four doors and stepped into a small jewellery store where she was greeted courteously by a smartly dressed man in his early sixties. Annie smiled in acknowledgement.

"I need two gold bands,at least 18 carat. One my size –" she held up her left hand "-and one that will fit a six foot four, 200lb man." She showed him a picture of herself and Jeff on her phone. "and I only have ten minutes."

"Of course, madam. Please come this way and I'll show you a selection of sizes."

XXXXXX

(Law department, main lecture theatre)

"The professor's in a good mood today." Gemma said - Jeff had just cheerfully dismissed his ConLaw class at the end of the lecture and told them because it was so sunny outside he wouldn't be setting homework that weekend. The class had cheered him, then sprinted for the door before he could change his mind.

"Yeah," Hayley said. "I wonder what Annie's up to?"

Gemma shrugged. "Whatever it is, she asked us to keep an eye on him." They discreetly followed him down the corridor until he stopped at the reception desk where the receptionist handed him a bunch of flowers that had been delivered while he was lecturing. Gemma and Hayley were too far away to hear what was said, but they got the gist of it when the receptionist showed Jeff the bucket she'd stood the flowers in, he stood the bouquet back in it, extracted a single rose and presented it to her with an exaggerated bow. The receptionist - a sixty year old grandmother called Leonora - blushed and giggled like a teenager.

"That's a nice bouquet," Gemma said.

"Yes, If that's for Annie she must be doing something big for him today," Hayley said in a thoughtful tone of voice.

"Either that or he's been a spectacular jerk again and those are apology flowers," Gemma said cynically.

XXXXXX

(Les Fleurs d'Amour Beauty Spa)

"Thank you so much for fitting me in at such short notice, Eloise." Annie said somewhat indistinctly, trying to move her lips as little as possible so as to avoid disturbing the full face mask she had on.

 _You offered double our usual rate to clear a ninety-minute slot, of course we'd squeeze you in._ "It was a pleasure Miss Edison, we thoroughly enjoyed taking care of you and your friend last time."

In addition to Eloise, who was working on Annie's hair, there was another beautician working on her manicure, a third on her pedicure and a fourth who had applied the facial mask but was now working on waxing Annie's arms - not something she usually bothered with, but she was determined to be flawless. After all, the dress may have been exquisite but it was also sleeveless.

"Not that it isn't incredibly romantic, but why the rush to get married?" Eloise was babbling cheerfully. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "You're not _expecting_ are you?"

"What?" Annie squeaked. "No! We were having a big blow-out fight, then he asked me to marry him, we screamed a bit more, then he went down on one knee and gave me his grandmother's ring." She held up her left hand.

"Aaaaww!" All four women working on Annie said at once.

XXXXXX

(Greendale Community College)

"… clear off, before I change my mind." Jeff grinned as he dismissed his last class of the day, again without setting homework. He fished his phone, which had vibrated a couple of minutes earlier, out of his pocket. He smiled when he saw the message was from Annie. It simply said –

 _ **City Hall, 13:30hrs. If you're late I'll marry the first single guy to walk through the door after that.**_

Jeff put his phone away. _That's an hour to get changed and half an hour to get to City Hall. It's going to be tight._ Jeff starting jogging back to his office to get his bags and the bouquet, and then off to the gym to shower and change. He didn't notice he was being followed.

XXXXXX

Annie was having her makeup finalised at the end of her spa session when her phone vibrated. She smiled when she saw it was Gemma's number – she hadn't expected to make friends with the students who had accompanied Jeff to the conference, but they'd bonded when what had meant to be one interview to fill in some background to the conference visit had turned into several sessions of gossip and swapping scandalous tales over a bottle of wine. She was especially touched that they had turned out to be so willing to help despite not knowing what all the secrecy and stalking was about.

 _ **He's gone to the gym with his bags. Knowing him he'll be at least an hour making himself pretty.**_

Annie nodded, amused – she'd had the exact same thought.

 _ **Thanks guys – make sure he's on the road in plenty of time, okay?**_

The reply was immediate.

 _ **Are you ready to tell us what's going on yet?**_

 _ **Sorry{sadface} you'll find out soon enough.{happyface}**_ Annie replied.

XXXXXX

An hour later, Jeff had showered, shaved – again, moisturised, got dressed and teased his hair into the effortlessly casual effect that always took at least ten minutes to achieve. As he walked out of the gym he fished out his phone to call for an Uber, but stopped when he saw two familiar figures waiting for him.

"What are you two doing here?" Jeff said to Gemma and Hayley.

"Annie asked us to make sure you were on the road in plenty of time for wherever it was you were supposed to go." Gemma said.

"And we thought the easiest way of making sure – and finding out what has been going on – was by giving you a lift." Hayley added.

Jeff thought for a moment, put his phone away, put on his sunglasses, handed the bouquet he was carrying to Hayley and shrugged. _It's not as if the secret needs to hold for much longer anyway._

"Lead on, ladies." He stepped between them, his cocky smile firmly in place.

XXXXXX

"I'm sitting in the front." Jeff said firmly. "There's no way I'm risking creasing this suit." They had reached the car park and he was staring rather dubiously at Gemma's battered Hyundai.

"Get in, professor." Jeff and Gemma sat in the front, Hayley the back – behind Gemma, as her legs would have been crushed behind Jeff.

"Now you have to tell us where we're going." Gemma said as she started the car.

"City Hall." Jeff said a moment later, as they were leaving the parking lot.

Almost immediately afterwards Hayley started hyperventilating.

" _OHMIGOD!_ " She squealed. "I know what's going on! The fancy suit, Annie disappearing for the morning, City Hall!"

Jeff braced himself. _Here we go – it couldn't last forever…_

"You're going to run for mayor!" Hayley squealed again.

" _What?_ " Jeff could barely believe what he was hearing.

"It makes sense – you've spent a whole semester of ConLaw classes telling us that law doesn't exist in a vacuum, it's part of society – and nominations close next week! Annie's been processing your nomination papers, hasn't she? And these flowers are to thank her for doing all the work!"

Jeff debated for a moment letting Hayley's misconception run, but reluctantly decided honesty was the best policy.

"It's not that, Hayley – we're getting married and that's a bridal bouquet."

"Oh, is that all?" She sounded disappointed.

"About time." Gemma added. "The way you guys kept looking at each other it was bound to happen."

XXXXXX

Annie was waiting in the parking lot off to one side of City Hall. She watched as the clock on the Jag's dashboard turn over to 13:30, then took a deep breath, grabbed her bag and stepped out of the car. _This is crazy! I can't believe I'm going to marry Jeff Winger! He only proposed to me eighteen hours ago - what on earth am I doing?_ Annie almost turned around and ran away there and then, but then she had another thought - _I've spent over a thousand dollars in a single morning that'll go to waste if I back out now._ Thus fortified, she stood up straight, threw back her shoulders and started walking to the front entrance.

XXXXXX

Jeff had arrived some ten minutes earlier and was standing in front of the building nervously chatting to Gemma and Hayley - as it happened, his back was to Annie and his first hint that she was arriving was the click of heels on concrete. He turned and -

"Wow." Annie was wearing an ivory sheath dress, conservative in cut but still flattering to her figure, and matching shoes. Her slightly nervous smile was turning into a broad beam as she noticed the frankly stunned expression on Jeff's face. "These are for you," he handed over the bouquet. Annie aaaww-ed with delight as she took them off his hands.

"Are you ready to do this?" Jeff asked softly, offering her his arm.

"Just a minute - can you take this please, Gemma?" Annie passed over Jeff's expensive camera. "I'll want some pictures when this is done." She turned to Jeff. "And you take this -" Jeff looked down in surprises as she handed him a small gold ring, then she hooked her arm through his and they walked into the building.

XXXXXX

In truth, the marriage itself lived down to expectations - they waited a few minutes in the clerk's office, then when their turn came they answered a few questions, showed their driver's licences to prove who they were and when they told the clerk they intended to complete the process immediately, she simply said "Sign here -" pointing at the licence "-with your names as they are now, and here -" pointing at the marriage certificate "-with your married names. If you wish it to be formally witnessed, your witnesses sign here -" Gemma and Hayley stepped forward, the clerk took the completed paperwork, stamped it, recorded the details on her computer and returned the certificate.

"Congratulations, Mr and Mrs Winger." Jeff looked at the certificate - Annie had indeed signed it 'Annie E. Winger'. He looked at her with surprise, she simply smiled softly at him. "Ring, Jeff."

"What? oh, yeah." He took the ring she'd given him outside the building and reached for her left hand. Annie stopped him. "Vows first, Jeff." She said with a determined expression on her face as she reached for her bag.

Jeff took hold of Annie's hand before she could reach into her purse. _She's probably got a three page script in there,_ he thought as he smiled at her. "I know you've got something written – you're always prepared – but can I do this my own way?"

Surprised, Annie nodded. Jeff paused for a brief moment. _Time for the most important Winger Speech of my life._

"I promise to love you eternally. Honour you unreservedly. Desire you constantly – " Jeff's eyes were shining, Annie suppressed a giggle "-fight with you furiously and always make up afterwards. And unconditionally and without limit and for the rest of my life remember how lucky I am that you chose to love me and strive to be someone worthy of your love and never, ever allow anyone or anything to come between us." Jeff gently slid the gold band onto the third finger of Annie's left hand as her face glowed.

"Now I have to top a Winger Speech," She said, beaming. She paused for a moment – her carefully drafted words had quite vanished from her mind – and started to speak.

"Jeff Winger - you're not as bad a man as you think you are, and I'm not as good a woman as you think I am - I think that makes us a pretty even match. I have always loved you, and will love you for the rest of my life, however impossible you are being. I won't promise never to give you reason to be angry with me –" they both smiled at that "-but I do promise that I will never give you reason to be unhappy with me, and most of all I promise to spend the rest of my life with you and never, ever, give you reason to regret it." Annie slid the gold band she was holding onto Jeff's ring finger.

"You're supposed to kiss her, you know." Hayley said.

"Mrs Winger," He practically whispered the words as though he could barely believe them.

She returned the gesture with the rather larger second ring and was pleased to see it fit perfectly. "Mr Winger," she was barely any louder.

"Yeah," Jeff said with a grin as he pulled Annie gently towards him.

XXXXXX

"Thanks guys, for everything." Annie hugged Gemma and Hayley in turn - they were outside, and had spent five minutes taking pictures on Jeff's camera and everybody's phones, including group pictures that an unfortunate passerby had been roped into taking, and now Annie and Jeff were ready to go. "I should throw this thing -" Annie was looking at her bouquet "- but it seems silly as there's only two of you, so - will you take it as a thank you present instead?"

"Of course we will," they both said at the same time.

"It's probably against all sorts of rules for a professor to hug his interns -" Jeff said as he moved next to Annie.

"Don't be silly, Jeff." Hayley said, closing in for a hug, followed by Gemma. "You two have an amazing weekend, we'll make sure everybody's prepped for your return."

"Bye girls, and thanks for everything."

"Bye guys."

"Goodbye the pair of you, now go!"

With a final wave, Annie dragged Jeff off by the hand to where the Jaguar was parked.

XXXXXX

"One last thing before we set off…" Jeff and Annie were sitting in the front seats of the Jag, phones in hand. Jeff's had a picture of the two of them outside City Hall with the simple caption 'Mr and Mrs Winger'. He started counting down.

"Three - Two - One -" the two of them pressed the buttons to upload at the same time, Jeff waited a second for the upload to confirm and then - "phones off until Monday, and let's get out of here!"

He switched his phone off, turned the ignition and eased the car out of the parking space onto the open road.

"Wait - do we need to go home and pack?" He suddenly thought.

"Jeff…" Annie said in an amused tone of voice as though he'd overlooking something that should be obvious. "Oh, right." He grinned. "I thought the trunk was riding slightly low."

"Where are we going?"

"I thought you wanted it to be a surprise."

Annie looked at him with a contented expression on her face. "We're married now, Jeff. It's okay to tell me."

"I've booked a suite at the best spa hotel in Vail," he said.

"How soon can we get there?"

"According to the GPS app on my phone, just under two hours."

"Can you get us there any quicker?" Jeff looked at the -frankly smouldering - expression on Annie's face and grinned. "In this car? You bet." The Jaguar surged with acceleration as it hit the open road.

XXXXXX

(Two hours later - Edelweiss Resort Hotel and Spa, Vail)

"Thanks, but that won't be necessary." The porter was attempting to show Jeff and Annie the features of their suite - Jeff shoved a ten dollar bill in his hand and ushered him out of the door without taking his eyes off Annie, who hadn't said a word.

"Well," said Jeff, his eyes sparkling. "We've got a couple of hours until dinner time. What do you want to do?"

"You really can be an idiot at times, Jeff." Annie flashed him a smile that made his spine tingle then turned her back on him and started walking - sashaying, rather - to the bedroom door, unzipping her dress as she went. She'd barely got halfway before it was little more than a puddle of expensive fabric on the floor. Jeff's eyes widened as he drank in the view, then he grinned with delight, took off his tie and followed her.


	22. Chapter 22 - Friends, Distance And Time

(Greendale Community College, the following Monday)

In order to make their mini-honeymoon last as long as possible, Jeff and Annie stayed at the hotel Sunday night, ate an early breakfast there the next morning and drove straight to school afterwards.

"You ready?" Jeff said, as he and Annie walked across the parking lot, both with their phones in their hands.

Annie nodded. "As I'll ever be. Three… two..." Simultaneously, they both switched on their phones for the first time since Friday.

"Ouch!" Jeff said, once the buzzing finished. "Sixty seven new messages – you?"

"A hundred and fifteen," Annie replied. Then she grinned. "Obviously a lot more people think I'm crazy to be marrying you."

"Or that you deserve congratulations for landing me." Jeff grinned back at her.

"I don't believe even you think that," Annie said with a mischievous smirk on her face.

Jeff tried to take offence, but when he saw the light in Annie's eyes he couldn't help smiling instead. _This is what the rest of my life is going to be like isn't it? Annie Edison's – Annie Winger's – little lapdog. It's a big change, but maybe it's worth trying something else. I've been a lone wolf for too long._

"I think we should throw a party," he said. "To let everybody get it out of their system, or something. Heck, maybe we can even score some presents." He smiled at Annie - Jeff realised he was spending a lot of his time doing that, he didn't really care.

"Saturday after next?" she said.

Jeff nodded. "That's enough warning for anybody who wants to come to make it."

"And it'll be a good time to make the formal announcement about us leaving." Annie looked at Jeff to be sure he was still okay with this. When he nodded back at her, she continued, "That gives us a bit of time to formally notify Greendale you won't be back in the fall, polish up your CV and send it off…"

Jeff nodded, trying not to let any worry show on his face. _I'll be with Annie, it'll be okay._

"Good morning Professor Winger, Mrs. Winger - and congratulations!" The receptionist greeted Jeff and Annie as they reached the Law Department.

"Good morning to you too Leonora, and thanks!" Jeff said as he and Annie walked past with a smile and a wave.

"You're going to have to get used to that, Mrs. Winger" Jeff said with a grin.

Annie rolled her eyes at him. "I haven't completely made up my mind yet. I might go with 'Edison Winger' for career purposes - or just Edison if my husband doesn't stop being smug about it." Jeff looked at her sharply - she had her stern face on, but her lips betrayed her by turning up slightly at the corners.

Jeff mimed putting a key to his mouth and locking it. "Smugness locked away," he said with exaggerated seriousness. "Are you ready?" They'd arrived at the lecture theatre. Annie nodded and Jeff opened the door.

A deluge of balloons fell on their heads as a wave of cheering washed over them. "What the -" Annie caught one of the balloons and turned it over in her hands - it was silver with JUST MARRIED! written on it in bright pink lettering. She blushed bright pink as Jeff grinned from ear to ear.

"Well done, jackasses," he said to his class. "Let's see if you can work as hard as you play…"

XXXXXX

Jeff and Annie spent that first day back fielding the reactions from their friends. It should have surprised neither of them that the promise to have a party to allow everyone to have their say satisfied no one.

XXXXXX

"Hey, you two!" Britta cornered them after the last class of the morning, as they headed to the gym for a lunchtime workout. Both of them knew this would be the first confrontation, and likely also the most difficult.

"Britta," Jeff said, not giving anything away. Annie just smiled.

Britta sighed. "Why did you do this without telling anybody? It was so we couldn't make her see sense, wasn't it?" She was poking Jeff in the chest at this point.

 _Part of it was because we knew our friends would go nuts, yes._ Jeff managed to stop himself from saying that out loud.

Instead, it was Annie who responded. "Once we decided we wanted to do this, we also decided we didn't want to wait," she said mildly. "There's also something else we were going to announce at the party we're having soon."

"What is it?" Britta asked. "Oh crap - you've got a Winger bun in your oven, haven't you?"

"Britta!" Jeff gasped.

"Why do people keep asking that?" Annie squawked, her face bright red.

"You _did_ get married very quickly -" Britta attempted to defend herself.

"And no, I'm not pregnant! As far as I know, anyway," Annie added with a small grin on her face. Both Jeff and Britta stared at her at that. "And if you want to know what the announcement is, you're going to have to come to the party." Annie's expression was challenging.

Britta visibly fought to get her thought processes back on track. "Look, you both know I could talk for an hour about what a bad idea this is without repeating myself, right? Shut up, Jeff." He'd already opened his mouth to interrupt. "And I probably won't come up with anything you haven't already thought of, I know."

She paused for a brief moment. "You're both my friends, okay? I know you'll both drive each other crazy, just - just promise me whatever happens and whatever gets said you won't give up on each other, okay?"

Annie's face melted. "It's a deal."

"Thanks, Britta," Jeff added.

"Come here, you two." Britta gathered them in for a group hug. "And just remember - if you need anybody to talk to, I'm a therapist."

"Yes Britta, we'll definitely remember that," Jeff said dryly as the hug ended. Annie rolled her eyes at him, as Britta frowned slightly.

"Well, I'll be seeing you round." Britta turned on a heel and practically fled the scene.

"That went easier than I expected," Jeff said.

XXXXXX

" _I'm going to choose to believe that the reason you two were in such a hurry is because you were behaving yourselves and couldn't wait much longer to start being intimate."_

"I would be very happy indeed for you to believe that Shirley," Jeff said solemnly. They were talking on the speakerphone in Jeff's office.

" _Uh-hmm."_ Shirley replied. " _You know I haven't always been the most supportive of this, but anybody who was at that hospital this spring could see you care about that girl and deserve a chance if that's what she wants."_

"Thanks, Shirley," Jeff said.

" _But just you remember this boy - I love you, but Annie's like a daughter to me. If you even think of making her unhappy in any way, just remember I have a son who has fond memories of being babysat by her and who has just graduated the Marine Raider training course, coming first in his Advanced Sniper Class. What was that?"_ Annie, sitting on the other side of the desk with both hands over her mouth, hadn't quite succeeded in suppressing a burst of laughter.

"Students in the corridor outside," Jeff said without blinking. "And I will definitely remember that, thank you Shirley."

" _Uh-hmm,"_ Shirley said. " _Well, give Annie my best_ -" Jeff hadn't told Shirley Annie was listening in on speakerphone "- _and tell her I'll be praying for the two of you. God knows you'll need it. Goodbye Jeffery._ "

"Goodbye Shirley, and thanks." Jeff ended the connection, then turned to Annie. "Do you think she bought it about us being good?"

"Not for a second," she said. "You?" The look on Annie's face reminded Jeff that his office door locked from the inside.

"Me neither." He smiled back at her and got up from his seat.

XXXXXX

" _This should have been the final episode resolution to the original series, not the launch of a spin-off five years late."_ Abed had said when they had spoken to him that evening. " _But better late than never. Good luck guys."_

"Thanks Abed," they said together.

XXXXXX

 _What took you so long, dummies?{smileyface}{smileyface}{smileyface}_ Troy's text message from a recording studio in New York was short and to the point.

XXXXXX

Craig Pelton never said anything. He spent the entire week coming to work in a black suit and tie, ignoring Annie and trying not to cry when he saw Jeff.

XXXXXX

Days went by and life returned to some semblance of normality. Annie helped Jeff revise and update his CV (Annie reviewed Abed's lectures and, after having another of the quiet moments she had when confronted with evidence of her 'lost period' as she had come to call it, picked out the best one and attached a link to a Cloud stored copy) and send it to a range of potential employers.

While waiting nervously for a response, they got on with sending out invitations to their party. They had some surprising replies.

" _What?_ Wow - that's amazing!" Jeff heard Annie squeal from the far side of the apartment. He looked up from where he was preparing dinner, only to see her go quiet again as she resumed talking at a more normal volume. He chuckled softly at the outburst and went back to slicing chicken breasts for the salad he was preparing. Eventually Annie finished talking, shut down her laptop and bounced over to Jeff, her face glowing with excitement.

"That was Shakti!" She said, "She's coming to our party!"

"That's nice," Jeff said, grinning fondly at Annie's enthusiasm. "When's she flying in?"

"She isn't. She's driving here - she's going to load up my car with all the stuff I left at her place and bring it here!" Jeff had almost forgotten Annie had a car, which of course she hadn't seen in months - if he'd thought about it at all he would have vaguely assumed she would have sold it when she realised she wasn't going to be posted back to Norfolk. "That's a… really long journey," he observed. _Even longer than the one I did last summer._

Annie nodded. "She explained it to me. She's hoping to do it in two days, there's a Sikh Gurdwara in St Louis who have offered to find her a bed for the night apparently."

"She must be a really good friend to go to that much trouble." Jeff had only met her three times, each one at Annie's bedside.

Annie smiled softly as she nodded. "I've only known her since last Christmas, but yes she is."

Jeff thought about some news he'd been sitting on for most of the day, waiting for the best moment to raise the subject with Annie. _Now is as good a time as any, while she's still on an adrenaline high._ "It's funny that this topic came up, but I've heard from a friend who's coming too."

"Really, who?" Annie looked puzzled, trying to remember all the people she'd invited.

"It's an old student and friend of mine who's currently going through law school and who I still occasionally advise when asked. She's spending the summer interning in Grand Junction -"

"Wait - _she_? Who is it Jeff?" Annie's previously happy face had suddenly turned inquisitorial.

"As I said, an old student of mine. Her name's Mel Callaghan."

It took Annie almost a second to place the name. "Mel Callaghan? The giant redhead you spent most of last summer sleeping with? _That_ Mel Callaghan? You invited her to our wedding party?" Annie looked like she gone all the way through inquisitorial and was well on her way to outrage.

"Hey," Jeff said, "if sleeping with me disqualified a woman from being invited, then the guest list would be a lot thinner..." Jeff stopped talking at that point as his brain caught up with his mouth and he found himself wondering in which of Abed's alternate universes that could ever have been a helpful comment.

Amazingly Annie didn't explode at that, even if she looked like she wanted to. "You know I've sometimes thought that one of the good things about leaving Greendale is that in a new town every time I see an attractive woman I won't find myself wondering if she - _knows -_ my husband as well as I do."

"Ouch." Jeff winced at the blow. "I'm sorry Annie, I never thought -"

"We can't change our pasts, Jeff," Annie said, surprisingly calmly. "It's how we build on them that defines who we are."

 _This is one of the reasons why I love you so much._ Jeff thought to himself. Going by the way Annie's expression softened it must have shown in his eyes.

Annie took a deep breath. "But I - I think I can be grown up about this." She nodded as though trying to convince herself. "I think it'll be good for me to meet reboot Annie," she said, slightly sharply. "I assume she's hoping to stay here?"

"Mel's on a really tight budget Annie," Jeff said. "Everything she has goes towards paying to get her through law school - it's why she was at Greendale in the first place. But I'll put her in a motel if you want."

Annie looked briefly tempted. "No, I _can_ be grown up about this," she repeated. "Whichever one of her or Shakti arrives first can have the spare room, the other can have the couch. But if she is staying, I have a condition Jeff." Annie's formidable face was back.

"Name it, babe."

"While she's here..." Annie looked him straight in the eyes, arms crossed across her chest. "We _will_ have sex. Frequent, energetic, _loud_ sex."

"Dammit, Annie!" Jeff cried in mock outrage, while barely managing to suppress a big grin. "You drive a hard bargain."

XXXXXX

"Oh. My. God." Jeff gasped out. He'd been going through his email, and was staring at his computer screen as though he'd seen a ghost.

"What is it, hon?" Annie said. It was four days until their party, and she was working through a couple of last minute lists.

Jeff turned his tablet around. "It's Idaho Law - they want to interview me by video chat. Tomorrow!"

"They don't want to give you time to prepare," Annie deduced. "They want to see you as you really are. Aaaww Jeff!" Annie leaned over and squeezed him into a big hug. "This is huge - if they're willing to talk to you based on your CV all you have to do is turn on the Winger charm and they'll be putty in your hands!"

"I think they'll expect me to know some law, too," Jeff said dryly.

"In that case," Annie said firmly, "we're going to spend the next six hours with me testing you and then we're going to get a good night's sleep."

"Just like the good old days," Jeff said fondly as he saw the expression on her face.

XXXXXX

(The Friday before Jeff and Annie's party)

2.15AM

 _BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!_

The sound of someone hammering on the front door shocked Jeff awake. "What the hell?"

"Whazzup?" Annie was slower waking up. Jeff had already grabbed something to wear and was on his way out of bed.

"Dunno," he said - he wasn't much more conscious. He hit a light switch and looked around for an improvised weapon. Seeing only an empty vase, he grabbed that on his way to the front door.

"Hi Jeff! Remember - oh!" a slightly too cheery voice said as he opened the door. As the very pretty south Asian girl on the other side of the door stammered to a halt with her eyes glued to Jeff's chest he realised he was wearing only a pair of boxer shorts. _At least she's got good taste,_ he grinned to himself.

" _SHAKTI!"_ Annie screamed from behind him. Jeff was unceremoniously shoved out of the way as the two women ran into an exuberant embrace. He watched with a bemused smile as they bounced happily around the middle of the lounge, each trying to talk at the same time.

When they calmed down slightly, Shakti passed something to Annie who took one look at it and tossed it to Jeff. He snatched a set of car keys out of mid-air.

"Jeff, can you be an absolute darling and go down and fetch Shakti's bags? We've got _so_ much catching up to do!" Annie was already leading her friend by the hand to the kitchen to put a kettle on for coffee. "It's a red Camaro convertible." She added.

Jeff looked down at his nearly naked body. "At least let me put a robe and some shoes on," he mumbled.

XXXXXX

(Twelve hours later)

It was past lunchtime, but Shakti and Annie were having breakfast. They'd stayed up chatting well into the early hours - Jeff had left them to it after half an hour and morning twilight was well advanced by the time Annie crept into bed trying not to wake him up. By the time she woke up, Jeff had already been up, gone into Greendale to do his morning classes, returned having showered, groomed and changed into impeccable designer casual gear. _He's making a special effort because I've got a cute friend sleeping in the guest room,_ Annie thought fondly to herself - she knew Jeff well enough to know the effort was mostly vanity on his part, not evidence of anything more improper. And indeed, when Shakti had got up she'd taken one good look at him and then looked away, and hadn't quite looked in his direction since, much to Jeff's amusement.

"I'll get it!" Annie said when the doorbell rang, jumping up from her seat where she'd been chatting to her friend. Jeff was sitting on the balcony marking papers on his tablet, somehow managing to pose like a model in a J. Crew catalogue.

"Hell-oh!" Annie stammered to a halt as she opened the door and found herself staring at an impressive cleavage, bountifully presented in a tight, low cut top.

"I'm up here," an amused voice said from somewhere above Annie's head.

Annie looked up. And up.

"I'm Mel Callaghan," she said. "You must be Jeff's wife?"

"Annie Winger, pleased to meet you." They shook hands. "Do come in." Annie managed to impress herself with how calm and casual she sounded and how she'd managed to avoid stressing the surname.

"Hi Callaghan, glad you made it." Jeff had drifted over from where he had been working.

"Hi, Professor," Callaghan leaned forward, they kissed each other on the cheek. "Glad to be here, and congratulations."

 _They're very comfortable inside each other's personal space,_ the part of Annie that would always be Annie Adderall, feeling worthless and self-hating, said deep inside. Annie stood up straighter. _No - I promised myself I wouldn't be like that._

"So, it looks like you took my advice for once," Callaghan said.

"Advice, Jeff?" Annie was facing the both of them.

Jeff looked a little sheepish. "When Mel left at the end of last summer, before I came to DC, she said I'd been given a second chance and I needed to tell you how I felt about you. I didn't then, but I did eventually, and it was the best thing I ever did." He looked fondly at Annie as he put his arm around her shoulders.

Annie looked at the tall redhead now smiling gently at the pair of them. _Was that a peace offering? Your way of saying you're not going to be a threat?_

"Ahem!" The fourth person in the room said.

"Oh sorry!" Jeff said. "Mel - this is Shakti Kaur, Annie's friend from Norfolk. Shakti, this is Mel Callaghan, an old friend of mine…"

XXXXXX

 _Sisters are doin' it for themselves_

 _Standin' on their own two feet an ringin' on their own bells._

 _Sisters are doin' it for themselves!_

(It had been Shakti's idea. "I bet in all the crazy rush to get married, you never had time for a bachelorette party did you, Annie?" she'd said. "What do you say we do it now?" Annie had gaped speechlessly as her friend kept talking. "What do you say, Mel?"

"There's no way this could get awkward and embarrassing - I'm in!" Mel replied.

Jeff's feeble protests that they were having a party the following night were swept away with a "we won't let her get too drunk" and they had basically forced Annie into a party dress and frogmarched her out of the apartment.

The last thing Jeff heard before they left was Callaghan saying "I know somebody who'll be up to speed on where the best bars are" as she swiped Annie's phone and speed dialled Britta.)

As the karaoke ended, Britta and Annie punched the air and cheered, threw their arms around each other's shoulders and staggered back to the table where the other two were drunkenly cheering.

"So, is it true what this one said?" Shakti said, pointing at Mel.

"That was supposed to be a secret!" the redhead squawked.

"What was it?" Annie said, glaring drunkenly at the others.

"App-apparently I'm the only one at this table who hasn't slept with Jeff." Shakti seemed slightly upset somehow.

"Mel!" Britta squealed.

"Sorry guys..." Mel looked like she wanted her seat to swallow her up.

"I jus' wanted t'know if I'd missed anythin'," Shakti mumbled.

"Oooh boy -" Britta started.

"Not a word, Britta," Annie snapped. " _Jeff and I_ are very compatible, and that's all I'm going to say on the subject." She was blushing furiously. "That's all _anybody's_ going to say. Understood?" Her formidable face silenced the rest of the table. Annie looked down and saw her glass was almost empty. "Mel, can you get some more drinks please? People get out of your way when you go to the bar."

Mel shot her an unexpectedly irritated look. "Yeah, sure. Send the big girl with the elbows to the bar," she grumbled as she got up.

"What did I say?" Annie gaped.

 _Oh no, too late._ She thought as Britta visibly went into therapist mode.

"Mel hates being so tall."

" _What?_ But she looks amazing!" Annie said. "If she hates it so much, why's she wearing heels?" _And a little black dress that shows legs that go up to my shoulders -_

"Oh, she can work it," Britta continued, "and she's sufficiently bloody minded not to give in to it, but she hates the way people sometimes treat her like a circus freak - it doesn't help that her husband cheated on her and divorced her because of it." Britta paused and drained the last of her drink. "I think that's one of the reasons she likes Jeff - he's even taller than she is and never saw anything odd about her."

Annie thought for a moment. Her reply came out somewhat churlish. "She should be more grateful - I'd give anything to be tall."

"And I'd give anything to be petite." Mel had returned with a giant pitcher of Sangria, which she put in the middle of the table. Britta started pouring as Mel took her seat, glaring at Annie.

Annie glared back. "Really? When I tried to buy a dress for my birthday party I got sent to the children's department!"

Mel scoffed. "The last time I tried to buy jeans that covered my ankles I got sent to menswear!"

"When I was younger everybody called me a Disney princess!"

"When I was younger everybody called me Xena Warrior Princess!"

"I have to wear heels on a date or guys won't take me seriously!"

"I can't wear heels on a date or guys will be scared off!"

"When I go to the movies I have to ask the people in front of me to sit lower!"

"When I go to the movies people behind me ask me to sit lower!"

"Okay, okay!" Britta practically screamed. "We get it - Abed was wrong! You're not duplicates, you're exact polar opposites and you've each had it rough in completely different yet scarily similar ways! Now is this a party or isn't it?"

"Sorry Britta," Annie said. "Sorry Mel."

"Sorry Britta," Mel said. "Sorry Annie."

"Gosh, but I need this now," Annie said, picking up a drink.

XXXXXX

(The end of the evening)

The three of them had dropped Britta off and got a taxi home. They had - _just_ \- kept their promise not to get Annie blind drunk, but they were all too buzzed to drive. They staggered through the front door giggling, only to come to a baffled halt as they saw Jeff leaning against the kitchen counter.

"You shouldn've stayed up Jeff," Annie slurred.

"I've only been back ten minutes myself!" Jeff went on to explain how he didn't want to stay home alone, so he'd phoned Ian, Craig, Martin and Andrew (naming professors Cligoris and Whitman respectively) and invited them to an overdue bachelor party. They'd gone to Morty's and a couple of bars, and then Ian had driven them all home.

"And I'd just poured myself a nightcap when you three staggered in," he finished, holding up a half-empty glass of Scotch.

Annie beamed suddenly. Jeff was standing there in a suit with his tie loose and and the top buttons of his shirt undone, looking slightly dishevelled in a way she'd always found outrageously cute. She sashayed over to him (carefully, so as not to ruin the effect by drunkenly falling off her heels) and grabbed hold of his tie.

"Mister, we had a deal," she said firmly, and pulled him towards her.

"G'night guys," Jeff gasped as Annie dragged him to the bedroom.

XXXXXX

(The following morning)

As the one who slept on Jeff's couch, Mel Callaghan got up first. She made her way over to the kitchen area, put on a pot of coffee and put a slug of Jeff's Scotch into the first mug she poured. She was halfway through it when the apartment's other guest staggered into view. Mel took one look at the expression on her face, poured another mug and slid it over the kitchen counter. Shakti mumbled her thanks and took a sip.

"Don't tell me they kept you awake too?" Mel said.

"Only for the first couple of hours," Shakti said wryly. "Annie _did_ say they were compatible."

"Compatible? I'll be having nightmares for months…" Mel said ruefully.

"Shall we get breakfast ready and call them?"

"It'd probably be best to knock on the door but leave it closed."

XXXXXX

(The Old Bavarian Bierkeller, that evening)

Annie's plan for the party had always called for her and Jeff to arrive slightly late so that they could greet their guests all at once, but with four people fighting over a single bathroom and a limited supply of mirrors, 'slightly late' had stretched into almost an hour. Britta and Ian, who had been roped in to provide hosting duties in the interim, were at their wits ends.

"About bloody time," Duncan said as he saw the Jag pull up in the car park outside – his words were drowned out however by a cry of " _THEY'RE HERE EVERYBODY!"_ as Garrett spotted them at almost the same time. Stacy laid a gentle hand on his arm to calm him down.

"Who the hell does he think he is, James Bond?" Britta muttered. Jeff was wearing his Tuxedo and after climbing out of the Jag he paused for a moment as he put on his Aviators, as though to allow the world a chance to admire him. He walked around the other side of the car and opened the door for Annie, who was wearing the outfit she'd got married in.

("This party is to celebrate our wedding – I'm going to wear my wedding dress," she'd said earlier that evening. "Unless you think it doesn't suit me?" Annie was holding the dress in front of her, while wearing little more than lingerie and a challenging expression.

Jeff had gulped for a moment as he fought to concentrate on what she was saying. "Wear the dress," he finally said. )

What had really prompted Britta's comment, though, was the sight of Mel and Shakti, equally smartly dressed, getting out of the back of the Jag and falling into place behind Jeff and Annie as they walked arm in arm towards the entrance of the function room they'd hired.

"Sorry, you said something?" Ian had an expression of pure awe on his face. Britta elbowed him in the side.

XXXXXX

"You are a god, Winger." Ian couldn't take his eyes off the other side of the room where Britta was holding Taylor while Mel, Shakti and Annie fussed over the little girl.

"I'd ask why it took you all this time to notice, but I'd be afraid of the answer," Jeff said wryly.

"You're sharing an apartment? With those three?" Ian gasped out.

"I'm _sharing_ with Annie," Jeff said firmly. "Shakti and Mel are crashing in the spare room and on the couch, and they arrived yesterday and will be leaving tomorrow. It's all perfectly respectable – this is real life, not one of those cable channels you think Britta doesn't know you subscribe to."

"But still – _what?"_

XXXXXX

"You realise you're letting the Sisterhood down by taking his name?" Annie rolled her eyes – it wasn't the first time Britta had made this point, but the therapist obviously hoped she'd have a more supportive audience this time.

"I'm a strong, independent woman Britta – I can do what I want. And I want to share everything with Jeff."

"Pah – you've just been brainwashed by the patriarchy into conformism!"

Shakti and Mel had gone quiet, choosing to enjoy the show. Unfortunately for them, Annie bit down on her instinctive response and replied softly instead. "You know what my family was like, Britta – can you really blame me for preferring to use a name given to me by someone who loves me over one given to me by people who want nothing to do with me?" Annie's eyes seemed to double in size as she looked soulfully at her friend.

"But-" Britta ground to a halt as the eyes bored down on her. "But-" she tried again. "Oh crap, Annie – I'm sure you know best."

Annie beamed at Britta. "What name will you take when you marry Ian?"

" _What?"_

XXXXXX

"Oh Jeffery, It's still not too late to change your mind you know!"

"Yeeeeah Craig, that's not going to happen."

XXXXXX

"I was wrong." Frankie Dart had arrived and made a beeline for Jeff and Annie, who apologised to Professor Whitman and his wife before turning to greet their late guest.

"Hello to you too, Frankie." Jeff said with a smirk.

"What for, Frankie?" Annie said, ignoring her husband for the moment.

"I always liked you two on your own, but I also thought you were bad for each other," she said bluntly. "But anybody who could go through what you've been through and still want to be together deserves a chance to make it work. Congratulations. Both of you."

"Aaaww!" Annie closed in for a hug.

"Thanks, Frankie." Jeff joined them.

XXXXXX

"Thank you all for coming to our somewhat overdue Wedding Reception." It was getting late and Britta had warned Jeff she'd need to leave soon to put Taylor to bed, so Jeff had called for attention to make his speech. The room went quiet.

"First of all, I'd like to thank Jürgen and Reinhold for accommodating us at such short notice," Jeff gestured to the German brothers who were manning the bar, and who waved back at him. "I'm sorry I can't play foosball in this suit, guys." A round of good natured laughter followed from the Greendale old hands present. "I'd also like to thank Britta and Ian for holding down the fort earlier while we were delayed-"

"You were late because you're the first couple in history where the groom takes longer to get ready than the Bride!"

"Thank you Britta," Jeff continued, still grinning. "And on that note, I would especially like to thank the amazing lady without whose awesome taste in men this wedding would never have happened – my wife, Annie Edison Winger."

Annie couldn't hide the surprise on her face – it was the first time Jeff had addressed her in full like that – but she smiled happily anyway in acknowledgement of the applause.

Jeff went serious. "But there is another announcement to make. Annie has passed all her outstanding tests and the FBI have agreed she is fit to return to work," Jeff paused to let a small round of applause die down, "and they have offered her a very significant promotion running her own office. In Idaho." Startled murmurs broke out through the room. "I have informed Greendale that I will honour my summer school teaching commitments but I will not be returning for Fall Semester. We will be leaving Greendale at the end of summer."

"NoooOOOOOoooo!" A high pitched wailing noise broke out in the direction of Craig Pelton - Jeff had gone to some lengths to keep his decision confidential after informing the Greendale bureaucracy and this was the first Craig had heard of it.

Jeff ignored the interruption. "The worst thing about such a move is saying goodbye to so many friends. Rest assured we will be doing that properly closer to the time." He smiled at the audience as a much spottier and more uncertain round of applause, punctuated with low conversation, broke out.

Britta was the first to walk up to them, cradling a sleeping Taylor in her arms. "Is this why Abed and Shirley didn't come?" she asked softly.

Annie nodded. "We didn't go into details, but we did tell them there would be two parties this summer and if they could only make one they should aim for the second one."

Britta sighed. "What about you, Jeff? What will you be doing in Idaho?"

"I've applied for a job at Idaho State Law School," he said. "I aced the online interview and they've invited me to go there for a face to face interview in two week's time."

"When did you hear that?" Annie sounded shocked and happy at the same time.

Jeff grinned at her. "Yesterday, but you were fast asleep and then you were so happy bonding with the girls, and then when you got home we didn't talk much..."

"I'm really proud of you, Jeff." Annie hugged him tightly. "I knew you could do it."

"That's more than I did," Jeff said fondly.

"Me too."

"Britta!"

XXXXXX

The party wound up not long after that. Jeff and Annie said goodbye to the last of their guests, poured an inconsolable Craig into a taxi, rounded up Mel and Shakti and headed home.

Jeff unlocked the door to the apartment, but held out a hand to stop the others going in. "Excuse me guys, but there's one thing that I need to do that's way overdue."

"Wha-AAH!" Annie's question turned into a squawk as Jeff hoisted her off her feet and cradled her in his arms.

"And that's carry my bride in her wedding dress across the threshold," he finished.

Annie's face was glowing as he proceeded to jog across the lounge towards the bedroom. The last thing the others heard was Annie's giggle as the bedroom door slammed shut.

"We're not going to get much sleep tonight either, are we?" Shakti said.

Mel sighed. "I know where Jeff keeps the good Scotch. Do you want to help me kill a bottle?"

Shakti nodded. "And if we put some music on we won't have to listen to them."


	23. Chapter 23 - The Grey Havens

_**Author's note**_ _: this is the last chapter of the main story, though there will be a short epilogue posting immediately after - keep an eye out for it! In the meantime I'd like to thank everybody whose read this, favorited and commented on it, but most especially I'd like to thank Jeffwik, who has beta-read every last word of this thing and acted as a sounding board and invaluable source of advice in countless behind the scenes discussions, all of which helped make this a much better plotted and written story than it would otherwise have been - cheers, Jeff!_

Chapter 23 - The Grey Havens

The rest of the summer passed at a snail's pace. Mel gave Shakti a lift to the airport the following day for her flight back to Norfolk, before heading back to Grand Junction in the far west of Colorado.

("It's a strange feeling to say goodbye to a really good friend and not know when you're going to see her again," Annie said as she watched the car disappear.

"Yeah, it is," Jeff said in a faraway tone of voice. Annie hugged him tightly, knowing what he was remembering.)

The following Sunday there was another tearful goodbye when Jeff took Annie to Denver airport for a flight back to DC – she was leaving for a three week Management Skills course at Quantico that was a prerequisite of her new job. The Wednesday after that, Jeff flew to Spokane where he rented a car and drove to his interview in Moscow, Idaho, home of the U of I College of Law. He was glad to go – the apartment which he'd been so proud of for the last three years seemed cold and empty without Annie in it.

The following weekend – the second Annie was away - Jeff couldn't take that emptiness any more. As soon as classes finished on Friday he drove to Denver airport again where he flew to DC. Annie met him at the airport, her green dress flying around her legs as she ran half the length of the concourse before jumping into his arms. They spent two days together before Jeff flew back, and what happened was nobody's business but theirs.

The following Friday Annie's coursework finished at lunchtime and she got an afternoon flight back to Denver. Jeff met her at the airport – he was too cool to run, but he did sweep her off her feet and kiss her for a long time while hundreds of people passed by. Instead of taking her straight back to the apartment, he took her from the airport to the restaurant where they'd had their first real date.

"Is this your way of showing how pleased you are to see me?" Annie bounced happily in her seat as the waiter poured champagne.

Jeff smiled back. "That too, but mainly this-" he passed over a letter. It was high quality paper, with an Idaho State letterhead.

Annie read the first couple of sentences, squealed and leapt across the table to embrace him.

"You got the job! Sorry," she apologised to the rest of the restaurant who were staring at her in surprise.

"The first year I'll be on probation before they take me on permanently, but – yes," Jeff replied proudly. "I'll be teaching at a real law school, Annie!"

Annie looked proudly at Jeff - she was comparing the man she'd first met, who had boasted about how he would do as little work as possible to get back to his lifestyle representing morally compromised clients for obscene sums of money with the man who was so proud to get a real teaching job at a serious university and decided she liked what she saw.

"This means we've got no excuse not to set a leaving date now, doesn't it?" she asked as she settled back into her seat.

Jeff nodded. "Summer school finishes in a week. Two weeks after that would still give us two weeks to get set up in Idaho."

Annie nodded firmly. "We'll start planning when we get back to the apartment. In the meantime, let's enjoy dinner."

XXXXXX

(Seven days before departure)

Jeff found himself absurdly entranced by the sight of Annie's toes - she'd kicked her shoes off and hoisted the hem of her dress above her knees to tan her legs, and Jeff was enjoying the view. Her nails had been painted a delicate shade of eggshell blue, looking for all the world like dainty pearls. _Dammit, but I really am so far gone,_ he thought wryly to himself as he realised what he was doing. They were in the picnic area of Greendale park next to the bandstand, listening to an amateur band play show tunes and babysitting Taylor for the day – Britta was doing volunteer therapy work at a women's shelter. Jeff strongly suspected his friend was giving him one last perfect day with the little girl who was the closest thing he had in this world to a child of his own, but he knew Britta far too well to ever suggest such a thing.

Jeff and Annie were reclining on Annie's grandmother's picnic blanket, he was resting on his elbows, she was sitting up with a smile on her face. They watched Taylor play with a puppy that had wandered over from a neighbouring family. Both had wildflowers in their hair, from when Taylor had been "improving" their looks earlier.

"You're going to miss Taylor most of all when we leave, aren't you?" Annie asked softly.

Jeff didn't deny it. "She's a great kid," he said thoughtfully. "She'll be going to kindergarten in the fall. It would have been good to see that."

"I'm sure Britta will send you a ton of pictures."

 _It won't be the same._ "Yeah, she will."

Annie picked up on Jeff's mood. She turned to face him and took hold of one of his hands in both of hers. "It's okay to be sad, you know. Britta will kill me if she knows I told you this, but she once said you are the closest thing that girl has to a father, and it's not a job you've been terrible at."

Jeff smiled. "I'm not her dad, I'm her cool Uncle Jeff." But the denial was half hearted. He thought for a moment. "Ian's going to have step up to the plate on that one now, I suppose."

"Is he up to it?"

"He won't stop trying to teach her to be British, but I think so. And if not - Idaho isn't _that_ far away." Jeff had recovered his smirk.

"Uncle Jeff! I wanna dance!" The neighbouring family had reclaimed their puppy just as the band broke into the big number from Taylor's newest favorite Disney movie.

"Not me, munchkin. Ask your auntie Annie." Jeff grinned at her. Taylor humphed slightly then pivoted to face Annie. She didn't wait to be asked, instead she simply rolled her eyes at Jeff, scrambled to her feet and took hold of Taylor's hands. Jeff watched the two of them spinning on the spot and laughing as a memory from last summer came to him.

 _The girl with flowers in her hair, dancing barefoot in the grass._

He watched for a moment. _Screw it._ _I'm leaving in a week, it'll be a long time before I get to be this uncool again._ He stood up, walked over and was rewarded with two brilliant smiles as he joined the circle.

XXXXXX

(Four days before departure)

"Troy! Abed! Over here!" Annie yelled and waved to attract the attention of her friends as they headed towards the Arrivals gate at Denver airport - Jeff was perfectly happy to stand there looking cool and relaxed while his wife made a spectacle of herself. Annie ran the last few yards and enveloped both her friends in hugs as Jeff sauntered after.

"Heimdall," he said to Abed when the others turned to face him. He had - under protest - accepted Abed's preferred watchman metaphor.

Abed hugged him. "Looking good, Jeff - marriage suits you."

"Thanks, buddy." Jeff said as the hug ended. He turned to face the other new arrival.

"Smilin' Menace!" Jeff grinned as he held out his hand.

"Jeff." Troy grinned back and took the hand. He squeezed, Jeff squeezed back - Troy was one of the very few who could match Jeff's grip pound for pound.

"Say it, Troy." Jeff smiled.

"Do I need to, Jeff?" Troy smiled back.

Jeff and Troy ended the grip and embraced each other warmly. "Good to see you buddy," Jeff said.

("What was all that nonsense with Troy at the airport about?" Annie asked Jeff later.

"The bit where he threatens to make me suffer horribly if I ever allow you to be unhappy, of course." Jeff said.

"Aaaww, that's so sweet!" Annie beamed at him.)

XXXXXX

(Two days before departure)

"Shirley!" This time the welcoming committee at the airport was five strong. Shirley squealed as she dived into a sea of hugs and welcomes.

"Stand back everyone - let me see them on their own!" Everybody knew what she meant and stepped back until Shirley was facing Jeff and Annie directly. She glared for a long moment, then -

"Uh-hmm," she said, seeming satisfied. She turned towards Jeff. "Just remember what I said about Jordan, boy," she warned him, then squealed again before grabbing the couple for another hug. "Come on!" she said excitedly. "Let's find somewhere to talk - I want to hear everything! Well, almost everything anyway." She hadn't missed the way Jeff and Annie looked at each other as she said that.

XXXXXX

(The day before departure)

Many hands make light work, or alternatively too many cooks spoil the broth. Whichever way it worked, with the help of their friends Jeff and Annie packed away the last of the things they were taking with them to Idaho and signed them over to the shipping company. Annie's car was loaded onto a flatbed truck for the long journey north and everything that was being left behind was gifted to Britta and Ian to either use or sell as they saw fit. By the time evening came round, everything was ready.

The leaving party took place at Greendale, of course. Craig Pelton went all out to make it an event to remember - which meant slightly more than the usual quantity of balloons, a band that could actually play and rum in the fruit punch. It was a bittersweet affair, in which Jeff bid a fond farewell to the colleagues and students who had given him his life back.

("You're our witnesses, remember?" Annie said to Hayley and Gemma amidst tears and hugs. "You're not allowed to forget about us - you will visit, okay?")

At the end of the night, the band played Auld Lang Syne and there were more tears and hugs as friends parted.

For all that, it was not the real goodbye.

(The day of departure)

(Group Study Room F)

There was really only one place they could all say goodbye to Jeff and Annie. It had been Abed's idea for the six of them to meet up for breakfast the morning after the party and before the two of them started the long drive to Idaho and Abed, Shirley and Troy left for the airport but there had been no dissent. Abed and Troy had brought a tray of coffees and Shirley a box of cakes and doughnuts. Instinctively they took their usual seats around the table as the food and drink were passed around.

They ate and drank in near silence for a few moments as memories overwhelmed them. It was Abed who spoke first.

"This is the real end of the Spanish study group."

"What do you mean, buddy?" Troy's brow was wrinkled in confusion.

"We came together because Jeff wanted to be with Britta –"

"Sleep with me, you mean." His blonde friend snarked to an eyeroll from Jeff and chuckles from the others.

"So long as the two of them stayed here," Abed continued. "We had a fixed point in space and time that we could all come back to. Now Jeff is leaving with Annie and Britta has a family of her own and today we are all heading off in separate directions for the last time. We'll stay friends for the rest of our lives, but the six of us will never be together again in one place at the same time."

This was greeted with a thoughtful silence, which was surprisingly broken by Shirley.

"Bullcrap," she said with surprising bluntness. "Your magic, Middle-Eastern 8-ball is misfiring this time, Abed. I give it two years at the most before we're all together again."

"Explaaaain…" Troy said with exaggerated seriousness as Abed's eyes widened with shock at being challenged.

"Once these two," Shirley began, pointing at Jeff and Annie, "have settled down in one place it'll only be a matter of time before they start pumping out the world's cutest babies –"

"Shirley!" Annie squawked with shock.

"And they won't be long about it, either." Shirley had kept on talking. "So two years at the outside before we're all in Idaho congratulating Annie on how cute baby Shirley is and teasing Jeff about how he's going to spend the rest of his life protecting her from boys like him." She grinned in triumph as she wound up her surprisingly detailed prediction. "And once they start, they won't stop for at least ten years so there'll be plenty of other occasions."

"I'm not sure we'll be naming our kids after the study group…" Jeff mused.

Abed considered what Shirley said, then nodded. "There'll be a Jeff Jr. of course."

"And a Doreen," Britta said, remembering the name of Jeff's mother and ignoring the spluttering noises coming from Annie.

"Oh, I know – Pierce!" Troy called out, a big smile on his face.

"I will not be naming a son of mine _Pierce_!" Jeff finally managed to grate out.

"Yes you will," Britta said with surprising firmness. "Now that you've managed to land the only girl in the world stupid enough to love you –"

"Hey!" Annie cried.

"- _after_ getting to know you," Britta continued, "You will no longer be afraid of ending up like him, and you will be free to admit you actually liked and miss the old goat."

Jeff thought for a moment. "Maybe a middle name," he finally allowed. Then he sat up in his seat, picked up his coffee cup, and raised it in a toast to the empty seat on the opposite side of the table. "To Pierce," he said. "He'll never be forgotten."

"No matter how hard we try..." But there was affection in Shirley's voice as she joined Jeff and the others in the toast.

"Still," Jeff mused as the toast came to an end. "Abed was mostly right - I don't think we'll ever again be together in this room around this table. This is the last time we come together as the Spanish study group," he grinned suddenly. "So make the most of it, guys!"

That seemed to break the ice, and soon memories and laughter were flowing back and forth - paintball wars, crazy teachers, ill-judged romances, madcap capers, all softened and made golden in the light of memory.

Eventually of course, the time came to depart. Reluctantly they stood up. Hugs, best wishes and tearful goodbyes were exchanged. Perhaps the most important was left until last.

"Hey," Britta said. She was smiling though her eyes were shining with unshed tears.

"Hey," Jeff said. He was smiling too, though there was grit in the corner of his eye.

"Taylor's really going to miss you, you know."

"Yeah, I'm going to miss her too. That girl got me through some really tough times. It won't be the same without her."

"You got her through some really bad places too. She's going to miss you much more than you deserve."

"Just make sure she understands, whatever second thoughts she may have, she is and will always be an amazing lady."

"I'll make sure she get's the message. Come here, Winger." Britta held her arms out for a hug.

(" _They're not talking about Taylor, are they?"_ Troy whispered in the background. Abed shook his head, clasped his friend by the shoulder and led him out.)

The hug went on for a very long time. There may have been tears shed.

"I need my husband back now," Annie said in a soft and gentle voice.

Jeff and Britta separated. They exchanged one last sad smile then Jeff turned to Annie. She looked at him fondly, and held out her hand. Jeff took it and Annie squeezed gently. He straightened up as though drawing strength from the bond and turned to face the door.

Hand in hand, Jeff and Annie walked out onto the library steps. Britta followed them and walked over to where the others were waiting. "Well, I'll guess we'll see you guys in Idaho," Jeff said, smiling at Shirley as he acknowledged her prophecy. There was one last round of goodbyes as Jeff and Annie climbed into the Jag and Jeff started the engine. Their friends waved until they were well out of sight. Annie waved back for just as long.

"Put the music player on, babe," Jeff said.

Annie did, and laughed as she recognised the tune coming out of the loudspeaker. "You set this up, didn't you?" she asked. Jeff grinned back at her.

 _Spent my days with a woman unkind,  
_ _Smoked my stuff and drank all my wine.  
_ _Made up my mind to make a new start,  
_ _Going To California with an aching in my heart.  
_ _Someone told me there's a girl out there  
_ _With love in her eyes and flowers in her hair…_

THE END - thanks for coming along on this ride with me.


	24. Epilogue: And A Movie

_**Author's note:** This is the second of two chapters posted today - make sure you don't skip straight past Chapter 23! After the emotions of the last couple of chapters, please accept this shameless piece of fluff as a final offering in this story:-)_

Epilogue: And A Movie

"Abed's coming on!" Jeff shouted.

"Put it on pause, I'm on my way!" Annie called back from the kitchen.

"Can't you waddle faster?" Jeff grumbled good naturedly.

"Hey – you put this thing in me, it's too late to complain now," Annie said as she walked carefully across the lounge, her hand resting on her rapidly swelling belly. Jeff just chuckled as his wife eased herself onto the sofa next to him and snuggled into his side as he put an arm across her shoulders. He un-paused the TV.

" _And in tonight's coverage of the Sundance festival, we're joined by director Abed Nadir, whose low budget dramadoc "The Importance of Memory" has become the surprise hit of the festival. Abed, glad you could join us."_

 _Abed nodded. "Glad to be here, Peter."_

" _Tell us, what made you decide to make this film?"_

" _The young woman at the centre of this story is a close friend of mine, and when I read the book she wrote of her experiences I immediately felt it deserved the widest possible audience. I contacted her and we agreed a deal for the film rights, I wrote a script, recruited some actors and here we are."_

" _As easy as that?" The interviewer chuckled._

" _As easy as that." Abed replied._

" _Let's see a clip –"_

XXXXXX

SCENE: A hospital room. A woman lies in bed, her head covered in bandages. A man sits next to her, holding both her hands in his.

"You say you do this every day?" she asked softly.

He nodded, the smile on his face was sad and weary. "I come in here, tell you how I feel about you, and then apologise for leaving it too late for us to do anything about it. And then I come back half an hour later and you don't remember a word of it."

"So... how do you feel about me, Jeff?"

"I love you, Annie. And I can't bear the thought of you not being part of my life any more, even like this. I almost lost you, and I don't have the strength to lose you again." He raised her hands to his lips and kissed them gently.

"Hey - I'm lucky," she said with a sad smile of her own. "I get to hear you say that for the first time every day. No other girl get's to hear that for the first time more than once." Her smile faded. "I just wish -"

"That I hadn't waited so long? That I'd said it when you stood a chance of remembering it?"

She nodded. "I've said that before, haven't I?"

He didn't say anything, he just nodded once.

XXXXXX

"Was it really like that?" Annie asked softly.

"I was better looking –" Jeff said as Annie snorted. "But yeah. It was like that."

"I still don't remember anything from that time," she said sadly.

 _The clip ended. The camera cut back to the interviewer._

" _As we can see from that, this film is as much a love story as a film about amnesia. That means the choice of actors must have been of vital importance. Did you not feel you were taking a risk employing what were basically comic actors for the lead roles in a film with such a serious subject?"_

" _Actually Peter, once I saw them testing opposite each other I knew nobody else could possibly play the parts of Annie and Jeff –"_

"Jeff and Annie," Jeff grumbled. Annie elbowed him in the side, then snuggled up again.

" _\- the chemistry they had together was amazing and it's not something I could afford to take for granted."_

" _The buzz on the ground here at the festival is that this film is, and I quote 'Oscar bait'. What do you say to these rumours?"_

 _Abed smiled, slightly. "Naturally I'm flattered, but it's far too early to think about that sort of thing Peter. I'm just pleased to be having a good festival."_

" _Abed Nadir, thank you for your time."_

" _Thank you for having me Peter."_

 _The interviewer looked directly into camera. "Abed Nadir's new movie, "The Importance of Memory" starring Alison Brie and Joel McHale as Special Agent Annie Edison and Professor Jeff Winger will be in a movie theatre near you shortly."_

"Do you think we'll make the premiere?" Jeff said.

"We may need another ticket." Annie said, smiling fondly at her bump.


End file.
